DART hosts train and bus safety blitz

DALLAS - Dallas Area Rapid Transit wants to make sure people know how to stay safe around trains and buses.

DART employees are meeting directly with passengers at all 62 of its rail stations and transit centers Tuesday morning to get the word out about safety. The agency calls it a safety blitz.

DART said virtually every day there is some kind of incident where a customer or pedestrian, and occasionally a driver, is hurt because they’re not paying attention to their immediate surroundings. They may come in contact with a bus or train.

The injuries usually aren’t serious but sometimes they are. DART just wants to put out a reminder that its buses and trains are heavy equipment and the public needs to be aware.

“When you’re out in public and there’s an opportunity for you to be hurt, that’s our point we’re trying to make today. Please pay attention when you’re around our equipment, when you’re standing on our platforms, when you’re approaching our trains or approaching our buses. Because there are so many ways that this equipment is unable to stop as quickly that maybe we would like it to stop and can hurt you. And obviously, we’re not doing it intentionally. We need your help making your trip on DART safe,” said Mark Ball, DART’s spokesman.

As an example, a man suffered fatal injuries this past December when he walked in front of a DART bus at a crosswalk in East Dallas. The driver of the bus was found not to be at fault in the accident.

The DART employees are handing out literature in addition to chatting with passengers. The brochures include some common-sense safety tips such as, “Do not text, talk or game on your mobile device while walking.”

The safety blitz runs through 9 a.m.