RussNelson wrote:There are penalties for trespassing, and you can make them higher (e.g. New York), but that doesn't do any good unless people get caught.
The railroad crews must know where people cross, because watching the tracks ahead is part of their job. So for every fatality, there must be more near misses, and many more far misses. You can buy a GPS data logger with a pushbutton for well under $100. What if every engine was equpped with one of these with instructions to push the button whenever an employee sees somebody cross. After a few months, you would have a pretty good idea where all the hotspots are. Then you could correlate past fatalities with hotspots to see if they're causative.
I'm thinking that this would be a good idea, especially if it could be integrated with the (or a) forward looking video camera from the cab. I think it would be beneficial to mark the video recording at each instance with a timestamp and location data, at least for analysis if not law enforcement. I wonder if, where PTC is in use, the data could be obtained from it.
So then you engage in mitigation. Is there a hole in the fence? If it gets fixed, will people cut it open again? What kind of incentive do people have to cross illegally? Is it possible to remove that incentive? Can a few visits from Operation Lifesaver help with matters? Maybe post some signs with pictures of splattered corpses? Maybe a sign that says "The last date someone killed themselves on our tracks was 10/28/2014"?
Mmmmmmmmm... This gets a bit sticky as to who would assume responsibility for what. That hole in the fence, okay, who owns the fence? Is the fence mandated by law or ordinance? Who's going to keep checking the fence? How do they stop people from cutting it open? And (of course), who pays for it? Incentive to cross? That can be a quadrillion different things. Shopping Center, Amusements, Bar Room, Park, Convenience Store/Dépanneur/Bodega, School, Bus Stop, ATM, Pizza Shop, you name it and I think whomever is responsible for this piece would be hard pressed to move something like a shopping center.
Maybe it's possible to teach the trespassers how to cross safely? ("Eastbound trains won't blow their whistle here. You need to look down the line. Don't EVER climb between the cars of a stopped train -- trains can start AT ANY TIME, and you can't see trains on the other tracks. Westbound trains will blow their whistle, but you can't see them coming, so you MUST remove your earphones/headphones.")
Having worked in the insurance industry, this one really chilled me right down to my toes, and I'm sure that the lawyers in the railroad's legal department would, at best experience the same feeling.
I hate to say it but I think the odds of hitting Powerball four consecutive times are probably far better than this ever happening..
Maybe trains can blow their whistle for hotspots just like they blow their whistle for legal crossings?
This would be easy enough
BUT not doable in "quiet zones", and I'm sure there would be areas where the abutters would raise holy hell about the noise.
Seems like there are a lot of things that railroads could do if they could figure out what is causing fatalities without having to wait for a fatality analysis. And they don't need to save everybody, because people are fundamentally stupid, fragile, careless, and everyone believes themselves to be above average. All they need to do is start saving statistical lives. Over time that will translate into real lives saved.
Agreed, but how much of this responsibility will the railroads assume, and how much should rightly fall on them? How much of this responsibility rightfully belongs to municipalities, counties or states? And
[!Political Ideology Issue Warning!] how much really belongs to the individual?
Food for thought though.
Just my 2¢ worth, adjusted for inflation..
Seen behind the motorman on the inside wall of a PCC departing "Riverside" many years ago: "Pickpockets are on duty for your convenience."