Deputies in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, will issue tickets rather than warnings to drivers who violate railroad crossing rules during Indiana Rail Safety Week, according to local news reports.

The enforcement decision marks a shift in how the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office handles crossing violations in the county, which includes the city of Evansville in southwestern Indiana. Where deputies previously could let violators off with a warning, the safety week campaign directs them to cite offenders outright.

The zero-warning approach aligns with the stated purpose of Indiana Rail Safety Week: reducing collisions between vehicles and trains at grade crossings. Enforcement campaigns of this type typically target drivers who cross tracks against active warning signals, drive around lowered gates, or stop on the tracks.

For the railroads operating through Vanderburgh County, the enforcement carries a direct operational stake. A single vehicle-struck-by-train incident can close a line for hours, force crews to be relieved or replaced, and cascade delays across freight and any passenger movements sharing the route. Crossing violations also expose rail operators to investigation time, equipment damage and, in the worst cases, casualties involving train crews as well as motorists.

Indiana Rail Safety Week provides the frame for the ticketing campaign, concentrating enforcement activity and public attention into a defined period. Law enforcement agencies across the state use similar observances to pair citations with education efforts aimed at changing driver behavior near tracks.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office did not announce a fixed number of crossings targeted or a citation quota as part of the campaign, based on the reporting available. Drivers cited during the week face the standard penalties attached to crossing violations under Indiana law.

The enforcement stance signals that crossing compliance in the county will be treated as a citation-level offense during the campaign rather than a correctable behavior meriting a warning.