Canadian  Pacific  Railway  Employee  Magazine  Article
Public Relations and Advertising Department
Windsor Station Montreal Que. H3C 3E4
 

Volume 11   Number 14

Oct. 28, 1981


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.
 
  OKthePK Victoria British Columbia Canada - www.okthepk.ca