ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s Rail Safety Week in Florida and Orlando Police are taking their message to the streets.
OPD Officers and the department’s Motors Unit are conducting active enforcement around railroad crossings in Downtown Orlando.
Sgt. Ross Hutto said drivers are one of the groups officers want to reach.
“When they come up to a railroad crossing make sure their radio is down, make sure they’re listening as much as they’re looking,” Sgt. Hutto said. “Make sure the gates aren’t coming down, lights aren’t flashing.”
That warning also applies to those walking or biking through a railroad crossing.
“Don’t have your earbuds in,” Sgt. Hutto said. “Turn them off and make sure you can hear. Lights, it’s a mechanical piece of equipment, sometimes it’ll fail and all you have is the horn of a train. You have to listen and look.”
On Tuesday, Orlando police turned those rules into action.
Officers stopped drivers who failed to stop at crossings in Downtown Orlando.
Sgt. Hutto said it was a chance to educate.
“We’re handing out citations and warnings, we have pamphlets we’re giving people as well,” Sgt. Hutto said. “It’s mainly education at this point, just trying to get the word out.”
Sgt. Hutto said when it comes to a split-second decision near the tracks, it can turn deadly.
“If a vehicle is involved in a crash with a train, the car is not going to win,” he said. “It’s not worth the risk.”
This enforcement is part of a larger statewide effort during Rail Safety Week.
FDOT said law enforcement agencies are conducting high-visibility enforcement at busy rail crossings throughout the state.
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