Welcome to the Illinois Operation Lifesaver web site. This site contains information covering a broad range of areas dealing with railroad safety, education and outreach. By staying out of the path of oncoming trains, we will all live longer and more productive lives. Each year in Illinois, approximately 80 people die on and around railroad tracks and property. There are few incidents that occur that affect a community and its residents like someone killed by a train. Families and friends of those people killed, train crews, railroad employees, first responders are all greatly impacted by such needless events.

Look through the site for information that can help us save lives in Illinois. Our goal is to reduce collisions, injuries, and deaths at highway railroad grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way. The Illinois Operation Lifesaver program began in 1976. That year, we had over 800 railroad incidents and 96 people were killed, in 2010 collision totals were down to 125 and 27 people lost their lives. We are making a difference in Illinois.

Operation Lifesaver is an active, continuing public education program designed to reduce the number of crashes, deaths, and injuries at highway-rail intersections. It is sponsored cooperatively by federal, state, and local government agencies, civic and business organizations, the nation's railroads, and other groups interested in highway-rail safety.

To meet its lifesaving goals, Operation Lifesaver is designed to increase public awareness of highway-rail grade crossing hazards and improve driver and pedestrian behavior at these intersections. In conjunction with its educational phases, Operation Lifesaver emphasizes engineering improvements, including the installation and upgrading of grade crossing warning signals and signs, and the enforcement of existing traffic laws.