Quote:

VCStar

Union Pacific Railroad police cited dozens of drivers in Oxnard during a safety check Wednesday to enforce railroad crossing laws.

The effort monitored crossings at Del Norte Boulevard, Rose Avenue, Rice Avenue and Gonzales Road.

“The goal is to basically educate drivers and change driver behavior,” said Jorge Villaescusa, a senior special agent with the railroad police.

He said 43 people were cited, including eight for trespassing, among them a juvenile.

Villaescusa said a lot of truckers were cited.

“It’s dangerous because they could be carrying propane or caustic chemicals,” he said.

Freight trains traveling 55 mph take more than a mile to stop, which is why it’s important for drivers to stop for rail signals, flashers and gates, he said.

“Trains don’t have steering wheels,” he said, adding that the force of their impact is “the same as a car hitting an aluminium can.”

The operation was conducted in conjunction with the Oxnard Police Department, Amtrak Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Metrolink Bureau.