Amtrak safety video wins awards
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefAmtrak said Wednesday a video depicting the importance of railroad safety has been recognized by two independent awards programs for creative excellence.
The Amtrak film, “Cheating Death,” received two Silver Communicator Awards from The International Academy of Visual Arts and two Bronze Telly Awards in the categories of Public Safety and Video Editing.
The film aims to warn teenaged drivers of the dangers and consequences of failing to obey highway-rail grade crossing signals. It was developed in response to several grade-crossing deaths of teenagers in Lakeland, Fla.
Included in the 12-minute piece are interviews with police, medical professionals, and family members of teenagers who died as a result of not obeying crossing signals. A condensed six- minute version of the video can be viewed on the Amtrak Youtube channel.
Amtrak says it will use the film as a training tool both internally for Amtrak personnel and externally for state driver’s education associations, school groups, civic organizations, and transit agencies.
More than 1,100 copies of the film have been distributed to Operation Lifesaver, a national organization dedicated to preventing railroad-related deaths and injuries.
“Cheating Death” was produced by the Amtrak Police Department, Donnabrant Productions, and DogHouse Media.
