Improving railroad safety in Mishawaka

MISHAWAKA, Ind., Mishawaka Police Department was on hand to unveil a new railroad safety measure Thursday.

The South Main Street railroad crossing now has a safety awareness sign at the crossing. It has the slogan, “see tracks? Think train.”

It was installed as part of National Rail Safety week.

The week is meant to raise awareness of dangers of disregarding railroad crossing laws. There are multiple blitzes also scheduled across Michiana. Officers will be watching for drivers trying to race against the train, or people walking along the tracks.

According to Indiana State Police in 2016, there were 116 railroad crossing collisions resulting in 36 people injured and 10 fatalities in the state of Indiana. Indiana is currently ranked 4^th in the country for train collisions.