By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

GARYVILLE – The volunteers of Louisiana Operation Lifesaver initiated a special positive reinforcement campaign on Tuesday in honor of National Crossing Day.
Executive Director Claude Maher, Tom Malik, Keith Accomando, Thomas Schmitt and Hoyt Yates stationed themselves at Marathon Petroleum Gate 3 in Garyville along with two Louisiana State Troopers, DJ Thomas Sr. and B.T. Porter, to commend truck drivers who followed the law and stopped before approaching the railroad tracks. The drivers also received a note of appreciation they could show their employers and a voucher for a free fountain drink at Reserve Truck Stop.
In 1972, there were more than 12,000 railroad crossing collision incidents. Non-profit organization Operation Lifesaver formed in response to such statistics, with the goal to promote railroad crossing safety in the public eye. Louisiana Operation Lifesaver was formed in 1981. Since then, Louisiana Operation Lifesaver has helped reduce collisions by 82 percent, rail-grade crossing injuries by 78 percent and rail-grade crossing fatalities by 77 percent.
According to Maher, St. John the Baptist Parish has one of the highest amounts of railroad crossing collisions in Louisiana. Other targeted parishes include: Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, DeSoto, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Jefferson, Ouachita, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa.
“Our mission is to save lives and reduce injuries at rail grade crossings and rail road rights of way. If we can save one life then it certainly makes it worthwhile,” said Maher.
Maher feels that positive reinforcement is more conducive to the message his organization is trying to perpetuate, though they have done campaigns with more strict enforcement. The Tuesday effort only targeted truck drivers, but Maher said his organization will eventually broaden its reach to the general public and public crossings when it has the manpower.
“I think (the strict enforcement campaign) is a good initiative because violators, in my opinion, should receive a citation. However, I think we’ll make a little bit more of an impact doing the positive reinforcement campaign,” said Maher. “If you come to a crossing and you stop like you’re supposed to and we reward you, then the next time you come to a crossing, you’ll go, ‘You know what? I did this last time and they thanked me because I’m saving my life. I’m going to do it again.’”
Operation Lifesaver offers free railroad crossing safety presentations to children of all ages, fleet managers, first responders, law enforcement and the general public. For more information on scheduling a presentation, contact Maher at 225-921-8381, or visit www.oli.org.