'Train Your Brain' to cross railroad tracks carefully and get home safely

Norfolk Southern public safety campaign makes tracks to seven Indiana cities

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Jul 06, 2016, 01:45 ET

NORFOLK, Va., July 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern is bringing its Train Your Brain public safety campaign to Indiana to encourage motorists to be smart and safe when crossing train tracks.

Billboards, with messages such as "Your fan club is waiting" and "He looks up to you," remind Indiana residents to cross railroad tracks carefully because their loved ones depend on them to return home safely. The billboards are going up this week in Gary, Goshen, Lafayette, Muncie, New Albany, Wabash, and Warsaw, Ind.

Billboards remind Indiana residents to cross railroad tracks carefully and return home safely.

Cross tracks safely. They depend on you.

Your fan club is waiting. Get home safely.

Billboards, with messages such as "They still need you," remind Indiana residents to cross railroad tracks carefully.

"We're turning our focus to Indiana because of the high number of deaths and injuries in the state as a result of vehicle-train incidents," said John A. Irwin, assistant vice president safety and environmental. "These important public safety messages will resonate clearly, as Indiana ranked fourth highest in the U.S. for vehicle-train collisions in 2015, with 118 incidents resulting in 51 deaths and injuries." Nationwide, highway-rail grade crossing incidents resulted in more than 1,200 serious injuries and deaths last year.

"Train Your Brain" safety messages will be promoted through radio, print, and billboard advertisements, on gas pumps at convenience stores, and in short videos in movie theaters. To reach drivers 18-34, who statistically are among the most at-risk for highway-rail incidents, "Train Your Brain" also is sponsoring activities at the University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, and Ball State University athletic events, as well as at Gary South Shore RailCats baseball games.

The campaign's mascot, "Brainy," a giant pink walking brain, will make appearances at fairs, festivals, and sporting events in these communities to share public safety tips and distribute giveaways.

Now in its 10^th year, Norfolk Southern's "Train Your Brain" public safety campaign has operated in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee, reaching more than seven million people through event appearances. This is the second time the campaign has been in Indiana. The state also was targeted in 2009-2010.

Norfolk Southern also is a long-time supporter of the national railroad safety awareness organization, Operation Lifesaver, a national organization dedicated to preventing accidents on the nation's freight and passenger rail systems. The nonprofit organization's "See Tracks? Think Train" campaign promotes pedestrian and motorist safety near railroad tracks and trains.

About Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation