What we're about... Operation Lifesaver is a nationwide non-profit public education program dedicated to ending collisions, fatalities and injuries at all highway-rail grade crossings, railroad property and railroad rights-of-ways. Operation Lifesaver seeks to accomplish this through the promotion of the "3 E's": Education, Enforcement and Engineering.

Some History... The Operation Lifesaver Program started in the State of Idaho in 1972 after the average yearly highway-rail grade crossing fatalities escalated to 1,200. A six-week public awareness campaign called "Operation Lifesaver" was first initiated through the combined efforts of the Union Pacific Railroad, the Idaho Peace Officers and the Governor's Office. During the year that this campaign was held, Idaho's crossing-related fatalities dropped by 43%.

The next year, the concept spread to Nebraska, where the reduction in collisions was 26%. When Kansas and Georgia experienced similar success the following year, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who was Vice-Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, encouraged the Nation's transportation community to take the program nationwide. Today Operation Lifesaver is in 49 of the continental United States and the District of Columbia. Also Operation Lifesaver is now an international program with Operation Lifesaver in Canada, UK, Estonia, Mexico and Argentina.

Kentucky's History... The Kentucky Program was organized in 1981. During 1980 there had been 198 crashes at highway-rail grade crossings in the State, which resulted in 14 death and 47 injuries. In 1981 the number of crashes was reduced 10% during that year and another 21% the next year. there has been a 60% reduction in the number of crashes at highway-rail grade crossings since 1980, despite the large increase in the number of licensed drivers and the number of miles traveled by trains.