Operation Lifesaver, Inc., announced the launching of their latest campaign, Common Sense, on June 24 with the hopes of reaching a younger audience and lowering the number of pedestrian accidents on railroad tracks.
Operation Lifesaver is a national, non-profit public education program devoted to reducing the number of injuries and deaths that occur around railroad tracks.
"The purpose of this new Common Sense campaign is to address the problem that we're seeing with trespassing," said Nancy Hudson, executive director for Alabama Operation Lifesaver. "More people are actually dying every year when a train runs over a person than when a train hits a vehicle." In 2008 there were 286 fatalities at crossings between trains and vehicles and 458 trespass fatalities nationwide."
"I love the name common sense," Hudson said. "Think about what you're doing. Just one locomotive weighs 440,000 pounds, and if you start looking at an average freight train, it could be as much as 20 million pounds."
Operation Lifesaver began in the United States in 1972, and now operates programs internationally. As part of the education program, certified volunteers deliver safety messages. These free presentations are customized to meet the specific audience needs, Hudson said. "For example, there are cartoons for children, special presentations for school bus and truck drivers, fire fighters and police."
"Whenever you're trying to tackle a project, it's better to focus on something," said Marmie Edwards, vice president of communications for Operation Lifesaver. "This is why the Common Sense campaign is aimed at people ages 18 - 34, because nearly 40 percent of the people who are injured or killed in trespassing on the tracks fall in this age group."
"The best way to address this problem and reach the younger audiences was the Internet," Edwards said. "We decided we needed something that was a little bit off-beat, different and out of the ordinary because everybody is so busy right now, and it takes a little more to get their attention."
The Common Sense campaign combines activities on the Internet, advertisements, demonstration videos and safety tips. Although this campaign uses newly developed resources, and is directed at a younger audience, the overall goals of Operation Lifesaver have not changed.
"The bottom line is the same," Edwards said. "We are still trying to help people be safe around railroad tracks and trains."
"It's common sense to stay off the tracks," Edwards said. "Why would you want to do something that would injure yourself and really upset the people that care for you?"
Ellen Simmons, a senior in apparel merchandising, said she is usually cautious around train tracks. "I think that walking on and messing around near train tracks can be dangerous because you could actually get something caught in there like in the movies."
More information on Operation Lifesaver and its activities can be found at www.CommonSenseUseIt.com, or by contacting Nancy Hudson at alol@att.net.
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