NS again uses Waze app to promote rail safety

Norfolk Southern Railway has relaunched a public awareness campaign about its Waze mobile application to educate motorists about grade-crossing safety. 

The Class I is using the Waze app to target drivers approaching crossings with specific safety tips. With national statistics reporting an accident between a person or vehicle and a train every three minutes, the awareness is needed, NS officials said in a press release.

"This partnership [with Waze] gives us a chance to reach people that may not otherwise receive these safety messages, and with 30 million Waze users in the United States alone, that is powerful," said Jason Morris, NS' assistant vice president of safety and environmental.

For its campaign, NS is targeting areas with high numbers of grade crossings and crossing incidents. Over the next several months, drivers will see the ads in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio.

Based on the success of its 2019 campaign using the Waze app, NS officials hope that this year's campaign will improve safety across the railroad's operating territory.

"The areas that were reached in 2019 have seen a reduction in incidents, which is an encouraging trend as we start this new round," said Morris.

NS' ad blitz kicked off in mid-September as a lead into the annual observance of National Rail Safety Week, which this year is Sept. 21-27.