Whereas the first Rail Safety Week was held from September 24 through September 30, 2017, by the national education safety nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, the Department of Transportation, and other organizations; Whereas Rail Safety Week was launched to raise awareness about the need for increased education on how to be safe around highway-rail grade crossings and railroad tracks, and to highlight efforts to further reduce collisions, injuries, and fatalities; Whereas the number of public crossings has declined 11 percent, while the number of gates increased by 32 percent, since 2005; Whereas, in 2017, 56 percent of all grade crossing collisions and 73 percent of all fatal grade crossing collisions occurred at gated crossings; Whereas while grade crossing injuries are 16 percent lower, grade crossing fatalities are 7 percent lower, and grade crossing collisions are 4 percent lower since 2008, challenges remain; Whereas, in 2017, there were 824 rail-related fatalities and 8,712 rail-related injuries in the United States; Whereas preliminary Federal statistics show that more than 2,117 highway-grade crossing crashes occurred during 2017, resulting in 272 persons killed and another 834 injured across the United States; Whereas trespassing incidents on railroad property resulted in 512 persons killed and another 508 injured across the Nation in 2017; Whereas highway-grade crossing crashes are more severe than highway collisions and are more likely to result in death and injury; Whereas many collisions between trains and motor vehicles or pedestrians could have been prevented by increased education, engineering, and enforcement; Whereas Operation Lifesaver, the foremost public information and education program on rail safety, administers a public education program about grade-crossing safety and prevention of trespassing; Whereas during Rail Safety Week, from September 23 through 29, and throughout the year, everyone is encouraged to observe added caution as motorists or pedestrians approach tracks or trains