L.A. Metro's new animated rail safety videos show 'dreadful outcomes'

In a new series of animated rail safety videos by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), viewers take a trip to “Safetyville” to explore common safety-related issues in and around train tracks and stations. The series of six videos reminds people that “safety begins with you” and tackles issues such as running to catch a train, lack of attention while driving a car near tracks and failure to follow posted safety instructions.

“Safety is our highest priority for Metro riders. These videos are edgy by design because we want these messages to stick,” said Metro Board Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

The first video (shown below) depicts an animated character, Jack, walking with a cup of coffee to catch a train. Jack is far from the station when the train arrives and he runs with his spilling coffee to get the train before it departs. The video ends badly for Jack.

“We want people to be safe around trains and we think these provocative messages will help riders as they use the services,” said Metro CEO Phillip Washington. “In the past few months we have expanded the Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa and the Expo Line from Culver City to Santa Monica, places where many people are unaccustomed to interacting with trains.”

“The safety videos, personifying Metro’s safety symbols and iconography, vividly portray real life occurrences and the consequences that will happen if safety is not top priority,” said Director Transit Safety Programs Jennifer Arndt. “The goal is for people in real world situations to see Metro’s safety symbols and to look, listen and stay alive in order to stay safe around trains and train tracks — unlike the characters in the videos.”

The series of “Safetyville” videos will be distributed on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and on Metro’s blog The Source.