Statement on the Movie “Divergent” by Operation Lifesaver, Inc. President Joyce Rose
The action-adventure film "Divergent," which opened in theaters nationwide this week, depicts a future world where people are divided into factions based on human virtues. Unfortunately, like the young adult novel upon which it is based, in the movie members of the Dauntless faction travel to different parts of their post-apocalyptic city by jumping onto and off of moving trains.
Although this movie depicts a fantasy world, in real life, about every three hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States.
We raise this issue because we want Americans to think about that statistic each time they approach a railroad crossing or ride a commuter train, light rail or intercity passenger train. The film-making community has shown increased awareness of the dangers around train tracks in light of recent incidents; we want to spread that awareness to the movie-going public.
With the help of our federal government and rail industry safety partners, Operation Lifesaver will soon launch a new national public awareness safety campaign highlighting the need to stay safe around tracks and trains.
We invite Lionsgate Entertainment, Summit Entertainment and national movie theater chains to consider supporting this campaign by airing our upcoming video public service announcement in their coming attractions this summer.
Together, we can make a difference, and save lives.
About Operation Lifesaver
Operation Lifesaver's mission is to end collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights of way. A national network of trained volunteers provides free presentations on rail safety. Learn more at http://www.oli.org; follow OLI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Tweetables!
- #Railsafety nonprofit president says @Divergent movie makes light of the real danger around tracks and trains http://bit.ly/1lWFolS
- Help us urge @Divergent to support #railsafety! Every 3 hours in the US a person or vehicle is hit by a train. http://bit.ly/1lWFolS
- .@Divergent, let's work together to reduce deaths around #traintracks! RT to share and visit oli.org for info. http://bit.ly/1lWFolS
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