WHO: The Florida Department of Transportation and SunRail
WHAT: National Train Safety Awareness Week
WHEN: Thursday, May 2 – Friday, May 11
WHERE: May 2, 9 am
Municipal Advisory Committee Meeting
MetroPlan Orlando Board Room
315 E. Robinson Street, Suite 355, Orlando, FL 32801
A presentation will be made to Central Florida transportation leaders in advance of Train Safety Awareness Week to introduce SunRail safety outreach efforts for the following week as well as the upcoming year.
May 5, 12 – 5 pm
Family Fest
Cranes Roost Park
274 E Central Pkwy, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
This will be the cornerstone event for Train Safety Awareness Week. SunRail has partnered with Radio Disney to promote rail safety to children and their families through this fantastic event that is expected to draw up to 18,000 attendees. The popularity of this event is underscored by the exclusive meet and greet opportunity with Debby Ryan of Disney Channel’s hit show, “Jessie”. Leading up to the event, SunRail ran a text-to-win contest to win SunRail Star Passes so people could beat the traffic and get to the head of the meet and greet line for Debby Ryan. SunRail will host a booth next to Radio Disney at the event to engage the public, particularly youth, about SunRail and railroad safety. The event will feature engaging and educational games, literature and the opportunity to win additional SunRail Star Passes. This event marks the first introduction of the youth outreach campaign featuring Tie the SunRail safety squirrel reminding us to “watch our tail and stay off the rail.”
May 5 – 11
Radio Disney
Entertaining train safety commercials have been airing on Radio Disney since April 8. The frequency of these commercials is doubled during Train Safety Awareness Week.
May 6 – 11
“Read the Signs”
Together with Operation Lifesaver and area volunteers, SunRail will hit the tracks and wave brightly colored signs and distribute safety literature reminding people to “keep off the tracks” during peak hours at key railroad crossings. The crossings selected have high issues of trespassing and cars stopping on the tracks – two critical safety issues. Crossing at undesignated areas, walking on railroad tracks and stopping cars on the tracks can be fatal mistakes and outreach during Train Safety Awareness Week provides a tremendous platform to inform the public on the dangers of these actions. Currently Florida ranks among the nation’s top states for railroad fatalities and SunRail is here to remind the community that “Trains can’t stop quickly but you can. Be smart. Be safe.”
WHY: The weeklong campaign is designed to educate everyone about safe driver and pedestrian behaviors around railroad tracks. It also kicks off SunRail’s new safety outreach campaign that will reach out to all Central Floridians with the railroad safety message.
