It is Rail Safety Week across Canada and for Estevan, that means a reminder to stay safe around the tracks. 

"Each year we want to take the time to really focus on rail safety and ensure people are aware and vigilant when they are anywhere near the tracks whether it be on foot on in a vehicle," explains Police Chief Paul Ladouceur. "Obviously rail safety is a big issue. We want to encourage people to stay off the tracks. The public often forgets that when your're crossing the tracks, it's trespassing, it's a serious charge. It might seem harmless but the reality is that rail accidents do happen, fatalities do happen."

In 2016, there were 69 incidents of trespassing which resulted in 46 deaths. This is an increase of 38% from the year before. Ladouceur also adds that drivers need to be on alert as well. 

"We want to remind drivers to take the appropriate action. It's a good idea to roll the window down a bit just so you can hear. If you have a stereo blaring and your windows are up, it's often hard to hear the train whistle. It may seem like such an easy thing, how does someone miss a train? You can see it. It's big its coming down the tracks, it's got a big light on it. But the reality is that people don't because we wouldn't have these fatal train vehicle accidents."

 "I've witnessed first hand where people have tried to beat the train," he continues. "Often we'll see people decide they want to race the train to save two minutes or five minutes or even ten minutes. You have to ask yourself is it really worth it?"

He adds that while trains can certainly be a nuisance at times, it's often a matter of perception regarding how long someone is actually stopped, waiting for a train.

"When you're sitting there, it seems like forever that the trains are taking to pass, but if you actually sat there and timed it, it's not as long as it seems."

He does note however, that Estevan has not seen very many train incidents in the city.

"We're fortunate in this city. We haven't seen a lot of pedestrian or vehicle train accidents and we want to keep it that way," he admits. "Most people in this community do abide by the train laws, they follow those cautions and they stop appropriately and they look and listen. Most people don't trespass on tracks and that's why we don't have those serious injuries or fatalities in this city. So we want to make sure people continue to do what they are doing."

He adds that it is often a matter of education and awareness which is valuable every week of the year. 

"It's common sense really. If you want to race a train, we both know who is going to win that battle."