Thursday, May 17, 2001 (Washington, DC) U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Michael P. Jackson today announced a $1.02 million grant agreement with Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) toward the delivery of public education and awareness programs related to highway-rail grade crossing safety and railroad trespass prevention in the United States.

Operation Lifesaver is true to its name. Each day lives are saved precisely because of the work they do to improve grade crossing safety,? said Deputy Secretary Jackson. ?The Department of Transportation is proud to renew our longstanding support for this outstanding organization.?

Operation Lifesaver is the nation?s premier nonprofit railroad safety education organization dedicated to ending collisions, deaths and injuries at our nation?s highway-rail grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way. For the past 29 years, OLI and its volunteers have worked nationwide with FRA, other agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the nation?s railroads to reduce fatalities at railroad crossings by more than 70 percent.

This FRA grant agreement provides, among other things, 75 percent matching funds toward the following major activities:

*States Assistance Grants - a total of $270,000 will be available to OLI?s 49 state programs to carry out innovative community safety programs and expand public education efforts for key groups such as law enforcement, professional truckers, school bus drivers, and others. In 2000, 27 state programs received a total of $200,000 in state assistance grants through this FRA/OLI grant program, which leveraged more than $190,000 in contributions from non-federal sources.

* Educational Programs and Materials - a total of $290,000 in FRA funding will be used to create and deliver educational materials and important safety training programs for the public and a curriculum for K-12 teachers. In 2001, FRA funding will help OLI promote the use of its new website, which includes a cutting-edge railroad safety curriculum for K-12 teachers. In addition, OLI will publish a new, standardized Grade Crossing Collision Investigation (GCCI) training program and video for the nation?s law enforcement community.

*Public Service Campaign - FRA will contribute $350,000 toward the launch of a three-year public service announcement campaign, entitled ?Take Safety to Heart,? developed in cooperation with FRA, the Federal Highway Administration, OLI, the railroad industry and representatives of the nation?s law enforcement community. The campaign (which includes television, radio, and print media advertising) will be launched immediately in the 15 most populous states nationwide, where 70 percent of all grade crossing and trespass fatalities occur.