Public Relations and
Advertising Department
Windsor Station Montreal Que. H3C
3E4
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Volume 11
Number 14
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Oct. 28,
1981
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Level Crossing Accident Opens
Safety Campaign
By Len Cocolicchio
Grim Demonstration:
Staged level crossing accident provides graphic illustration of why motorists
should obey crossing signals.
A train pulled by two 130-ton
locomotives crashed into the side of a car at a level crossing south of Ottawa,
23 Sep 1981, pushing the car 250 feet down the track before coming to
a stop.
The twisted wreckage of the car, and the two dummies strapped inside it, provided
graphic illustration of why motorists should obey crossing signals.
The staged collision was a dramatic opening to Operation Lifesaver, a
five-year campaign aimed at reducing accidents at level crossings.
Last year, 83 people in Canada were killed and 435 others injured in similar
circumstances. On CP Rail alone there were 36 killed and 140 injured at level
crossings in 1980. Countless near-misses go unrecorded. The collision
was staged by CP Rail as part of its effort to support the Operation Lifesaver
campaign.
AWARENESS
In a pre-enactment speech before guests and media at the Museum of
Technology in Ottawa, Russ Allison, CP Rail executive vice-president,
said the three thrusts of the program are to increase public awareness of crossing
hazards, to urge a crack-down by law enforcement officials on motorists
and pedestrians who disregard crossing signals, and to encourage maintenance and
improved planning and construction of crossings throughout Canada.
Mr. Allison, who is also president of the Railway Association of Canada, called for
a "unified nation-wide effort with assistance from all levels of
government, the railways, business, civic authorities and community groups and
organizations" in making Operation Lifesaver a success.
Other keynote speakers were Jean-Luc Pepin, minister of transport,
Edgar Benson, president of the Canadian Transport Commission and William Higgitt,
president of the Canada Safety Council.
Following the opening speeches, some 75 guests and members of the media boarded
three buses for the collision site. The car, a 1980 Ford LTD, its frame previously
bent in a road accident, was positioned on the track by Transport Canada. Signals
were activated and the train - an unmanned lead unit, a pusher, three boxcars and a
caboose - began its approach from about a half mile away to reach the desired 25
mile per hour impact speed.
Spectators braving a chill wind and rain were safely positioned behind a cordon.
The train, thrown into emergency brake just before impact, rammed the driver's side
with a jolting crunch, pushing the car about 250 feet down the track and creating a
spray of ballast.
National Film Board cameras inside the car and on the nose of the locomotive
recorded the collision. The result was barely a scratch on the locomotive. The car
was buckled like a toy under the weight of a
hammer.
"The collision provided ample demonstration to the public that playing railway
roulette at crossings is a dangerous game", said Roger Cyr, national director,
Operation Lifesaver.
"Despite better road design and upgrading of crossing and protective equipment,
there has been only slight improvement in accident statistics. In fact, in 40
percent of crossing accidents, the motorist has driven directly into the side of
the train".
Operation Lifesaver is planned as a five-year program. It is supported
by the Railway Association of Canada, Transport Canada, the Canadian Transport
Commission and the Canada Safety Council.
This CP Rail News article is copyright 1981 by
Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All
photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company.
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