[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING IDAHO OPERATION LIFESAVER

 Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, I congratulate Idaho Operation 
Lifesaver on its 50-year anniversary of working to keep people safe 
around railroad tracks and railway crossings. Thank you to all those 
involved with this highway/rail safety effort for advancing rail safety 
across Idaho and our country.
  Idaho Operation Lifesaver was started in Post Falls, ID, in 1972 and 
was adopted in other States and nationally. According to Idaho 
Operation Lifesaver, the average number of highway/rail incidents was 
12,000 annually when Idaho Operation Lifesaver was created. Idaho 
Operation Lifesaver is credited with a 43-percent decrease in incidents 
in its first year following a 6-week public awareness campaign started 
through cooperative work between then-Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus, the 
Idaho State Police, and Union Pacific railroad.
  This effort is currently supported by 78 volunteers across our great 
State of Idaho who assist with providing safety presentations to school 
groups, driver education classes, community members, professional 
drivers, law enforcement officers, and emergency responders. The 
group's focus on education, engineering, and enforcement is also part 
of its Officer on a Train Program, employed for the past nearly 30 
years to decrease car-train collisions. Through the program, Idaho 
State Police Troopers and Officers from local police departments work 
together to stop drivers committing track safety violations to prevent 
collisions, prevent trespassing on railroad property, and save lives.
  Idaho is filled with problem-solvers and doers. So it is no surprise 
this railway safety effort got its start in our great State. I 
congratulate Idaho Operation Lifesaver on this significant milestone. I 
wish all those involved with Idaho Operation Lifesaver well, as you 
continue to work to keep people safe from rail accidents across our 
State and Nation.

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