On-track publicity campaign that saves lives - by Stanley Hurwitz

Stanley Hurwitz, Creative Communications

At railroad crossings, do you (a) stop; (b) cross slowly; (c) proceed as fast as possible?

Car-train accidents are common. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says every 2 hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train. It’s time for a publicity campaign similar to Smokey the Bear’s “Only you can prevent forest fires” campaign launched in 1944.

There are about 5,800 train crossing incidents annually. In 2015, there were 2,069 vehicle collisions resulting in 235 deaths and 1,023 injuries – an improvement over 1981 with 9,400 collisions, 720 deaths, 3,300 injuries.

Still, why so many? If your car stalls on the tracks, run! A train going 50 mph needs a full mile to stop. A locomotive can weigh 200 tons – 200 times more than your car. In addition, rail companies rely on 70 year-old technology and 80% of crossings don’t have adequate warning devices. The NHTSA reports a motorist is 20 times more likely to die in a crash involving a train than a collision involving another vehicle. 

Statistics have new meaning when a relative is involved! My grandfather, William, fled Czarist Russia around 1913 to start anew in America. It took courage to leave behind his wife and 8 children whom he’d send for once he saved enough for steamer tickets. (One of those kids was my father). William’s sister in Glens Falls, NY, took him in while he built his business. He worked long, hard days buying chickens and eggs in the country and making deliveries in the city with a rickety wagon (that he bought for $150) on unpaved roads. He was literally “up with the chickens” 7 days a week.

According to the August 4, 1915, Page One stories in the Glens Falls News and The Post-Star (I have copies), William, age 42, might have fallen asleep as his wagon neared the railroad crossing. Perhaps the wheels caught on the raised track, maybe the horse also fell asleep. With nobody urging the horse onward, the wagon stopped. William, the horse and the chickens sat helplessly as the D & H train barreled through at 50 mph. World War I had prevented him from sending for his family and I doubt they learned of the accident until after the war in 1917. The Glens Falls relatives sent for William’s family – though his wife and one son had died in the interim. (Our family visited that rail crossing and William’s grave 20 years ago on our way to an upstate NY wedding.)

Crossing safety has improved since 1915. The number of collisions and casualties has decreased. But it’s time for a serious campaign similar to Smokey the Bear’s. Crossings should be clearly marked, warning systems should by updated to alert train engineers about objects on the tracks, and people should know it takes a mile to stop a train. How about a Smokey-type mascot – a chimp –and a slogan: “Don’t monkey around at railroad crossings.” Think how a creative PR pro could devise a clever campaign that could save lives, maybe someone you know.

Stanley Hurwitz is principal of Stanley Hurwitz / Creative Communications, Stoughton, Mass.