NORFOLK, Va., June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) is bringing its Train Your Brain public safety campaign to central and south Georgia to remind people to be safe and alert around railroad tracks and trains.

Billboards, with photos and captions such as "She needs story time" and "Your fan club is waiting," will remind motorists that their families and loved ones depend on them to return home safely.

"The images are intended to grab drivers' attention and encourage them to cross tracks safely," said Cayela Wimberly, Norfolk Southern's director of grade crossing safety. "Our goal is to save lives by educating people that trying to beat a train across railroad tracks or walking or playing on tracks is potentially deadly and always illegal."

The billboards are going up this week in communities along the Interstate 75 corridor from Macon to Valdosta. Georgia was selected for this year's annual campaign because of the high number of deaths and injuries resulting from vehicle-train and trespassing incidents. In 2014 the state ranked fifth-highest in the U.S. in highway-rail grade crossing collisions and 10^th highest in trespassing incidents.

The campaign's mascot, "Brainy," a giant wide-eyed pink walking brain, will make appearances at fairs, festivals, and sporting events to remind people to be smart and alert at highway-rail grade crossings and to avoid trespassing on railroad property.

In addition to the billboards, Train Your Brain safety messages will appear on gas pumps and ice chests at convenience stores, in movie theaters, on game tickets at 38 high schools, and on homework folders at 63 public elementary schools. To encourage safe driving habits, rail safety kits will be distributed to 3,600 students enrolled in driver's education programs at 18 public high schools.

Now in its ninth year, Norfolk Southern's "Train Your Brain" public safety campaign has run in Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee, reminding more than 7 million people to make safe decisions around tracks and trains. For more information, visit www.brainysworld.com or www.facebook.com/BrainysWorld.

Norfolk Southern also is a longtime supporter of the national railroad safety awareness organization, Operation Lifesaver, which works in partnership with railroads, law enforcement, and transportation agencies to encourage the public to make safe decisions around tracks and trains.

About Norfolk Southern 
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation