(Norfolk Southern issued the following on May 4.)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The results of Norfolk Southern Corp.’s recent railroad public safety survey here highlight the importance of safe behavior when driving or walking across railroad tracks.
Norfolk Southern conducted its survey late last year among residents of Memphis and Shelby County and with University of Memphis students who cross railroad tracks regularly.
About ten percent of respondents identified themselves as “unsafe drivers” and said they are likely to disregard train horns and flashing lights if they perceive that they can “beat the train” across the tracks. They reported that they talk on cell phones, listen to music, and drive aggressively and impatiently, and that they find themselves annoyed by people who safely stop well back from the tracks, even when no train is apparent. Most of the drivers who identified themselves as unsafe were young university students. Many said they already have had “close scrapes.”
“It’s unacceptable that every year in the U.S. some 360 people are killed and 1,000 injured in 2,900 train/auto collisions,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, Norfolk Southern vice president for safety and environmental. “The simple fact is that most every incident can be avoided if motorists use their heads to exercise caution when crossing the tracks.”
To help in this regard, Norfolk Southern is launching a “Train Your Brain” advertising campaign, with Memphis as the test market. “Train Your Brain” focuses on the fact that sometimes our brains let us do dumb things, such as racing a train across the tracks or trespassing on railroad rights of way. “Train Your Brain” messages will appear on billboards, movie theater screens, publications, sporting venue signage — even in restrooms and in other unexpected places.
The campaign’s mascot, “Brainy,” is a brain in need of training — a six foot tall spongy pink brain with a befuddled smile. This month Brainy, Norfolk Southern’s roving crossing safety ambassador, will visit the Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and Regions Sunset Symphony; Collierville Fair on the Square; and the Memphis Italian Festival.
All the communications invite viewers to visit http://www.brainysworld.com/ for more information. “Most people are immune to gory safety messages. Our idea instead is to get your attention with something more unusual and then explain how a few seconds’ thought can keep you from harm,” said Wehrmeister. “When people understand that trains can take a mile or more to stop, and that the impact of a train hitting an automobile is similar to the impact of an automobile flattening a soda can — that makes an impression.”
Norfolk Southern operates 10-15 trains per day over 74 crossings in the Memphis area. If “Train Your Brain” proves effective, the railroad may expand it to other communities in its service territory.
“Train Your Brain” was created by Archer/Malmo Inc., a Memphis-based marketing communications agency with clients throughout the U.S. Insights Research Group of Cordova, Tenn., conducted the public safety survey.
Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. NS operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America’s largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.