(The following story by John Valenti appeared on the Newsday website on July 31.)
NEW YORK — Calling safety a “top priority,” the Long Island Rail Road unveiled a new passenger education awareness campaign on Tuesday, hoping the message will help reduce accidents with children and adults alike on train cars, railroad platforms, stairs, escalators and even at its at-grade crossings.
Called “Be TrainSmart,” the campaign will ask customers not only to “Watch the Gap!” — but also to “Tune In To Safety.”
Aimed at making riders aware of dangers associated with train service — especially children, teens and adults who might be distracted while using cellphones, iPods, Blackberries or simply reading the newspaper — the campaign will use posters, brochures, advertisements and announcements to remind passengers that they need to take safety precautions.
“From my first day on the job, I said that customer safety is my top priority,” new LIRR President Helena Williams said in a statement released by the railroad Tuesday. “We want to raise customer awareness, and the first area we are focusing on is gap safety. Customers tune out safety when they focus on cellphones, text messages, e-mails and song selections. We need our customers to tune in to safety, look down and cross the gap safely.”
The dangers of platform gaps came to light last summer, when a Minnesota teen, Natalie Smead, 18, was struck and killed by a LIRR train after falling through the gap to the trackbed at Woodside Station. Smead had a blood alcohol level of 0.23 percent.
A subsequent Newsday investigation found almost 1,000 gap-related accidents on the LIRR between 1995-2006.
The safety campaign will be conducted in stages, focusing on a different initiative every two months for the next year.
One area will focus on children who ride the train and train crews will hand out safety stickers to kids that read: “I Can Step Over the Gap!”
The LIRR TRACKS program — Together Railroad And Community Keeping Safe — which uses in-school safety seminars at more than 250 area schools each year will stress railroad safety for kids, as well.
As part of the campaign, school kids can enter a sweepstakes where they can win a round-trip LIRR ticket and free admission to what railroad officials called “a popular children’s destination.”
Included among the safety tips on one of the “Tune In To Safety!” “Watch the Gap!” posters to be distributed by the LIRR are a bunch of common-sense precautions: “Stand aside and allow customers to get off the train before you board;” “Hold a child’s hand when exiting and entering the train;” “Never try to keep train doors from closing by placing your arm or leg in the way;” “Cross tracks only at grade crossings when gates are up and lights are not flashing;” “Look down when using stairs or escalators;” and, “Always Pay Attention to Your Surroundings.”