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Hi, this is Miranda Thacker with your KYTC Minute. Your safety is the foremost concern
of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. So this is a reminder to be careful when driving
through railroad crossings. Last year, Kentucky ranked ninth nationally in the number of railroad
crossing collisions and 14th nationally in the number of railroad crossing deaths. Compounding
the tragedy is the fact that every one of those incidents was preventable. Never race
a train to the crossing – even if it’s a tie, you lose. The average locomotive weighs
200 tons. A train hitting a car is comparable to a car hitting a soda can. And trains can’t
stop quickly enough to avoid a collision. It takes the average freight train travelling
55 mph more than a mile to stop. An oncoming train is always closer and moving faster than
you think. So don’t ever drive around a railroad crossing gate. We’ll have more
rail safety tips in our next segment. Finally, here’s a reminder to cast your vote for
the nation’s top transportation project. The finalists include a Kentucky project – the
U.S. 68 Double Crossover Diamond Interchange in Lexington. Just go to our homepage and
follow the instructions. Vote up to 10 times daily – and encourage others to vote as
well. Should Kentucky win, the $10 thousand grand prize will be donated to the Kentucky
Employees Charitable Campaign and its six partner charities. Voting ends Friday, October
19. This has been your KYTC Minute. Visit transportation.ky.gov every thursday for updated
information.