(The Associated Press circulated the following story on August 7.)
BILOXI, Miss. — CSX Railroad has posted billboards in Mississippi and Ohio to grab the attention of motorists and encourage them to think twice about trying to beat a train at a crossing.
The tagline on each ad: “If you’re thinking about beating a train, don’t.”
CSX has 30,000 crossings in 23 states.
CSX spokesman Gary Sease said the new ads target areas that have a high volume of train traffic and crossings with numerous collisions.
The message, “People outrun trains in movies. They also save the world, get the girl and own a talking dog,” is written in white letters on a dark background that features barren trees and a bright light in the distance.
Sease said some might perceive the light as the headlight of an oncoming train.
The two other ads also feature a stark landscape with leafless trees. One ad simply states, “Closed casket,” while the other states, “Tie goes to the train.”
Sease said the same ads also are on billboards in Toledo, Ohio, another place with numerous train accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians.
“We want to prevent collisions and prevent deaths and injuries at railroad crossings,” Sease said.