The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) is the oldest corporation in the state, serving North Carolina residents and businesses for over 150 years. Today NCRR operates 317 miles of rail corridor. Freight trains operated by Norfolk Southern carry products into and out of the state, and Amtrak runs eight passenger trains, including the Piedmont and the Carolinian, along the corridor. There are also current plans for regional mass transit operations along NCRR's rails in several North Carolina metropolitan areas.
With the continuing occurrence of vehicle-train accidents in North Carolina, NCRR turned to Springboard Eydo to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) educating the public on the importance of rail crossing safety. Specifically, the goal involved a message to stop for approaching trains and obey crossing signal lights and arms. The PSA, both for television and radio, would feature a successful NASCAR driver.
Springboard Eydo, through careful collaboration with NCRR, formulated a spot with a new twist. Traditionally, rail crossing safety messages have focused on the negative consequences of not observing safety measures. Instead, Springboard Eydo wrote and produced a spot that encourages the right decision: stop for an approaching train. The PSA features NASCAR driver Casey Mears, a perfect match for the message.
The message communicates the decisions a NASCAR driver has to make on the racetrack, and highlights the fact that each track requires making different choices. However, at the railroad track, there's only one choice... to stop.