Since there have been so many deaths though would start thread. The fitness gurus in Atlanta and also California starts this discussion.
Now an unconfirmed report of death Saturday in Union City, Ga. This could be either CSX Manchester sub (ACL) or CSX A&WP sub, These 2 subs cross grade separated then run parallel about 1/4 mile apart in Union City with crossover tracks to connect them both.
Take off the headphones - what you hear could save your life!
(1) OLI has been sounding the alarm for at least the last six years in big bold letters along with the issues about private crossings.
(2) In less than a month, NTSB is holding hearings on the subject.
Walking or jogging along a track is every bit as dumb as walking or jogging in the left lane of the freeway. (and there are laws against both types of reckless endangerment)
And, I think of the woman who, a few years back, was running on the FEC’s main, listening to something so that she could not hear the train that came up behind her–she came out far better than most people in such a situation; she lost part of each leg.
After seeing the reaction to my letter to the local paper regarding a photo that appeared in it of a trespasser walking in the guage, we have a long road ahead of us in trying to prevent such incidents. Virtually every comment to my letter on-line supported the tresspasser. And even the trespasser replied, defending her action.
Far too many people (dare I say “most”?) see the tracks as just another pedestrian walkway to get from here to there.
As was pointed out, most of them wouldn’t consider walking along the freeway, but I’d opine that if freeways saw the well-spaced (and often only a few trains a day) traffic that railroads see, they’d be walking there, too. Especially if it was a shortcut between points A and B.
Maybe the pedestrian problem is like the graffitti problem… basically unsolvable… something we should learn to live with unless we’re prepared to fence in or police every mile of railroad. We should accept that the world cannot be made totally safe and that a certain number of deaths and injuries are unavoidable.
Utopians will never accept that. [banghead]
I would tend to agree with what both Ulirch and Norm stated.
Our society seems to want to be on a course that removes all risk from life and Society.
Progress is not without some risk. Possibly, we are on an impossible path. Tresspass like the motorists who race to beat trains to the crossings, requires some level though process, and evaluation of the risk involved.
It is a CHOICE of the individual. The individual who makes that choice, ultimately accepts the risk to themselves; win/loose. The unfortunate part of that is the choice made will involve another person ( in these cases the humans operating the train). Their only choice is to view the inevitability of the situation. [2c]
Simple enough, run the trains without crews. No more hours of service. And if somebody gets in the way, the train will just keep going like nothing happened.
Once they know that the trains will not stop and that nobody is up there looking out for them, maybe they will go away. Well, one way or the other, they will go away.
ROAR
That is a major hurdle that will prevent driverless trains (or cars) for now. where does the liability fall? And since many of the congress critters are lawyers by trade, it is a question that must be answered before wide-spread adoption of the technology.
Back when belief in the deity was ubiquitous if someone were daft enough to get hit by a train public reaction ranged from the sanguine (It was his “time.”) to the practical (Fool should have known better than to step in front of a train.). Today the public, especially trial lawyers, trip over themselves in fits of righteous indignation demanding protection from acts of Natural Selection. Oh the irony.
To D. Carleton’s point;[snip] “…Today the public, especially trial lawyers, trip over themselves in fits of righteous indignation demanding protection from acts of Natural Selection. Oh the irony…”
It might be that our salvaion and relief will come from either allowing ONLY Lawyers to tresspass on railroad property; or ‘beat trains to the crossings’. Society could enjoy the ‘gift’ of either smarter lawyers, or a reduced presence of those same lawyers in the population, either way, an effective use of Natural Selection… OH! What a Relief! [swg]
The insurance regulations will need to be overhauled … maybe wide spread no fault insurance is the answer i…e. if my driverless car runs into yours then my insurance pays for my damages and your insurance pays for yours.
Trespassing is a word railroad spokesmen say when somebody dies, and it seems so pointless. If the objective is to prevent fatal incidents, don’t even mention trespassing, because it too much resembles a victimless crime. Instead, emphasize the plight of the engineer.
and this should go into journalists and trains post
The problem is existing law that recognizes industrial properties, including railroads, as “an attractive nuisance.” Someone can wander on to property they know they have no attachment to and if they are injured may successfully sue the property owners for not effectively discouraging the trespass. This very well may be the argument used against the railroad in the Midnight Rider case. Effectively this has legalized a lack of situational awareness for the American public; we the people have the legal right to be careless and someone else will pick up the damages.
What is needed is new law; basically a return to the individual being held responsible and accountable for one’s actions or inactions. How’s that for novelty?
Agreed.
Network TV paying some attention -
As Forest Gump once said, “Stupid is as stupid done”