Railroad Safety FAQs

New resource: Railroad Safety FAQs
Every 120 minutes in the U.S., a person or vehicle is hit by a train. These incidents result in thousands of deaths and injuries each year. But the train crew involved in a fatal collision with a vehicle or a trespasser is also a victim. The train crew is often renders emergency to vehicle occupants. The impact of a vehicle-train collision has been measured by Canadian Pacific Railway to exert a force of 300gs of gravity. This force far exceeds the limits a human body can withstand in a collision. The train crew must deal with the tragic consequences of a collision that they have little or no power to avoid. Many crew members are unable to work for a time following a fatal collision. Some have even left the industry due to the cumulative effect of multiple collisions.

Pity

Today, we were out running errands, on the way home we got caught at a train crossing waiting for the train. We sat there for a good five minutes, the grossing lights flashing, the guard rails down – but no train. I watched 3 people zoom around the guard rails while talking on the telephone. I also saw a man with a child safety seat (looked empty but could have been a small baby), and a SUV full of teenage girls driven by an adult. It was like Stupid Saturday – these fools were taking not only their lives in to jeopardy, but also the train conductors (and any other people on the train), my life because if the train derailed I was right there watching and then who knows what hazardous materials the train may be carrying that could be spewed in to the neighborhood or near by creek.

These people all should get hefty fines for such an egregious violation of human life. But, what do they get? Their errands done faster. Pity.