In London, the transport system is known for its polite announcements, read by slow, posh voices: “Please stand behind the yellow line.” “Mind the gap.” There’s something very British about the whole thing.
Meanwhile in LA, the Metro authority has taken a slightly different approach. It has released a new series of black and yellow animated safety videos themed around, well, the idea that a passing train might literally knock all your limbs off.
The series is titled “Safetyville”, which turns out to be a bit of a misnomer, as most of its participants end up maimed in the most horrific of ways.
In “Present or Pulverised?” someone using their phone gets, well, pulverised by a passing train. Another passenger then steps sadly across their body to board:
In “Heads-up or headless?”, someone running for the train has their head knocked off:
In “Careful or crushed?” a car racing through the level crossing is crushed:
They’re good fun, in a macarbre sort of way. But they’re also a bit out there: most injuries on metro systems are less serious, but still concerning.
Passengers run too fast in stations and fall, or are injured by closing doors as passengers push from behind. Whether these extreme ads will help people to be cautious on a more everyday level remains to be seen.
