Train hits car in Mich.; 5 thought to be teens die

Public grade crossings should completely BLOCK the entire road with a dropping gate. This way, there isn't a path around the gate at all.

Bill

Or another option, those solid steel cylinders that rise out of the ground they use for secure parking lots. The type that obliterate a car if one hits it at top speed (the speed associated with trying to get around a train i.e.).

IMO, there should be a nationwide law that requires public grade crossings that has gates or lights or both to have at least 1 or 2 surveillance cameras that are also equipped where it can read and capture the License Tag number on the car that crosses the tracks with the signals activated and the gates fully lowered.

Consequences:

First Time - A $500 fine
2nd time - A $1000 fine
3rd time - License Revoked for a month
4th time - license revoked forever

Personally the idea is great, except that....well as seen above the odds of surviving a hit from a train are slim, so there's no one left to pay the fine, or have their license revoked. Unless of course you charge it to the deceased parents (assuming they're underage). That'll teach parents to parent their child properly as well! (i.e. as in the consequences of drinking and driving)

macca45: Yup drivers licenses are very easy to get in the United States, while it does differ from state to state, here in Michigan one can get a level 1 drivers permit (aka mom/dad/guardian MUST be in the car with them when driving) at 14yrs 9mon. A level 2 requires 30hrs of road time after taking a level 1 test (so simple a baby could pass it). Once a level 2 permit is obtained you can drive without a parent between a specific time (unless prof of going/coming from work). Level 3 (standard permit) can be gotten at 18yrs old (mailed to driver). Full license (aka the age to legally buy alcohol) is gotten at age 21.

Great system we have!
 
One evening I was driving home, and chose to drive under the train overpass from a four lane highway to a two lane road. As I approached the traffic signal about a block from my home, a Chevy Blazer shot out of an industrial area, jumped the curb, crossed FOUR sets of tracks and negotiated the opposite embankment, wove between two trees, and bounced down the curb to emerge on the highway I just left , and all at a high rate of speed. I found myself praising God I did not have my children in the car at the time. I was angry as could be when a split second later a Metra commuter train flew by doing at least 45 to 50 mph.

I think it would have taken the Great Wall of China to stop that idiot, and I hope his axles gave out before he got to the bar!

Clink the link below to see the situation in Google Earth view. My car was traveling as the red arrow, moron's Blazer was the black.

http://home.comcast.net/~euphod1/pwpimages/idiot.jpg
 
I live in Abilene, Texas. In this town we have 7 crossing that are all on main streets. Total crossings are 12. The speed limit for the railroad has just increased to 70mph, it used to be 60. People were all up in arms about the trains "blowing thru town" at such a high rate of speed. Not a week goes by that some fool tries to cross in front of an oncoming train. Sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't.

A pedestrian got hit not too long ago and they found parts of him in some trees 100 yards from impact. Other parts they have never found. He committed suicide but now the engineer and conductor have to live with it the rest of their lives.
 
You gotta wonder how many idiots there can possibly left in the world...yet they keep coming..er going..and somehow surviving?

Some movie quote I once heard. The stupid are always too stupid to die.
 
What I meant was give the driver the consequences if he or she goes around the gates while a train is coming and if he or she makes it give them the fine through mail. Technology has advanced so much.
 
Public grade crossings should completely BLOCK the entire road with a dropping gate. This way, there isn't a path around the gate at all.

Bill

Yes, but couldn't that also trap cars on the tracks when the gates go down?:eek:

With 4 way gates there has to be, by law, a sensor installed to allow the apposing gate to raise back up to allow the trapped car to exit.
 
You can't separate culture from safety: if a barrier were to be put into place that blocked the egress from the level crossing, even if it were so flimsy as to be like tissue paper, there are cultural reasons why some drivers would not drive through them. We in the US, are not accustomed to full barriers at level crossings, and many people would be so confused by gates in front of them lowering and or rising that they would sit still like a deer in the headlights! Think about the elderly, or handicapped, let alone the new drivers or the blond women!
 
Then there's some people when crossing signals are activated they have a sense of shock and panic. It happen in Mebane,NC one time where a elderly woman panicked when she was on top of the tracks when the signals activated. It was a four quadrant gate setup. Cars that stop kept blowing their horns and one woman tried to pull her away from the trapped car but she locked the door and the blowing didn't help. The elderly woman was struck and killed by a Amtrak train going 79 mph, and one of the signals were destroyed in the accident as well. And to think that the drivers that stopped at the crossing have to live with that forever.............
 
Yes I agree there are a lot of people on the road both young and old that shouldn't even have a drivers license, let alone be driving a motor vehicle. But the railroad nor the DOT has any control over that. The only people I feel sorry for are the innocent that are involved either directly or indirectly.
As to the arms lowering after entering the crossing if they would have stopped when they saw the freaking red flashing lights they wouldn't be trapped in the first place. And if they don't know what flashing red lights mean then it goes back to my first statement. They'll probably remember for a split second what they meant when they see the front of a locomotive approching there door at 79 mph.
 
macca45: Yup drivers licenses are very easy to get in the United States, while it does differ from state to state, here in Michigan one can get a level 1 drivers permit (aka mom/dad/guardian MUST be in the car with them when driving) at 14yrs 9mon. A level 2 requires 30hrs of road time after taking a level 1 test (so simple a baby could pass it). Once a level 2 permit is obtained you can drive without a parent between a specific time (unless prof of going/coming from work). Level 3 (standard permit) can be gotten at 18yrs old (mailed to driver). Full license (aka the age to legally buy alcohol) is gotten at age 21.

Great system we have!

We have a tiered system also, but not as detailed, learners permit at 16 (driving with a licensed adult), probationary green at 18 (drive solo with a single passenger - 1 year), probationary red (solo with limits in car power - 2 years), full license (stupidity an optional extra)

There is talk at government level to raise the license age to 21 from 18 in conjunction with driver education at school.


I have noticed lately. a small number of rail crossing being controlled by both gates, flashing lights and traffic light systems.
These work to a certain degree, I have seen cars drive through the red traffic light when the gates go up.

Alex
 
IMO, there should be a nationwide law that requires public grade crossings that has gates or lights or both to have at least 1 or 2 surveillance cameras that are also equipped where it can read and capture the License Tag number on the car that crosses the tracks with the signals activated and the gates fully lowered.

Consequences:

First Time - A $500 fine
2nd time - A $1000 fine
3rd time - License Revoked for a month
4th time - license revoked forever

Problem is in some states a camera can not incriminate you for a traffic violation (which i think is stupid). And since in the US the rules of the road are govern by the state authorities that will never happen. However what can happen on a national level is that the Feds can add that clause (that cameras and fines are needed for RR crossings) into the Interstate highway grants and such. If some state doesn't do it they can loose their funding for federal roads (US highways and Interstates) which at the current state of the economy most states would probably quickly do such a thing. This is why the minimum drinking age in all of the US is 21. Each state by law can pick their own age; however if it is less than 21 they will not recieve funding for the federal highways.

peter
 
The camera doesn't have to capture the license plate image, you can usually find it a mile or so down the tracks!:eek:
 
whitepass said:
Update- the driver was late for work and had a suspended drivers license.

Newsflash- Why is Josh not surprised? Coverage, coming after these messages:

Do you ever feel like people ignore you? Do drivers ever go around your gates, then they might ignore their safety to avoid inconvenience. Talk to your local law enforcement agency, getting a camera might help. Don't wait, call 1-800- 537-6224 today. Remember, stopping 2 tons by visual doesn't hurt as much has having 2 tons plowed into you at 65 miles per hour.

Joshua
 
Public grade crossings should completely BLOCK the entire road with a dropping gate. This way, there isn't a path around the gate at all.

Bill

Or how about a ten-foot high solid Brick wall? That would stop 'em dead in their tracks. And if your car is stuck on the tracks, firstly, start telling yourself it was a stupid idea in the first place, and then RUN FOR YOUR FLIPPING LIFE!!! Ditch the car, you can replace it, but you can't replace dead humans!

End of message, you've been a wonderful audience;)
 
CCTV cameras do make sense in places like Australia where 90% of all traffic offences and millions of dollars in revenue are collected via speed and red light cameras. Another option would be CCTV cameras with a driver view like those on the Tilt Train in Queensland. The former would collect revenue, the latter would protect the train driver or catch him/her texting or writing a shopping list.

Here's a couple of videos to brighten your day. You may have seen them before, so please read my comments:

Semi_trailer clobbered by loco filmed by amatuer cameraman in USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBEZ...0E330994E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

Train hits Truck Crane - Driver Cam view
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf2m1sXaXk4&feature=related

Okay, one more. Another semi from a different angle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW_L5tag6ws&feature=related

And another where you can really catch the emotion. WARNING Contains course language one would expect in such a situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnNsfShDHjE&feature=related
 
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This story reminds of one of my dads train accidents. He is a conductor for the Ohio Central Railroad.
In April, my dad his, conductor trainee, and his engineer were crusin' along, just a half hour away from finishing their days work. But some stupid teenager decided he wanted to race the train. The kid was hauling a** and my dad said "He's not slowing down, he's not slowing down. Oh s***, we're gonna hit him!!!" And they did hit him. Lucky, the car was going fast enough that the moment helped carry it off the tracks before it rolled. My dad, also being a volunteer fire fighter, called 911, told them where to come, and that the kid might be dead. Meanwhile, the engineer called the dispatcher and the trainee ran out to see if the kid was ok. Luckily, there was a nurse coming down the road behind the kid and saw the incident. She went back with the trainee to look at the guy. He was lifeflighted to an Akron hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken rib, punctured lung, and numerous bumps and bruises. And then, two months later, the SAME KID decided to race the train again. He made it, but my dad reported him and he got slapped with a big fine. It all goes to prove DON'T RACE A TRAIN!!!!
 
For the folks trying to dream up a solution to prevent such "accidents", to quote Bill Engvall: "You can't fix stupid."

Fines won't work. All you have to do is look at drunk driving statistics.

Improved barriers wont work. Idiots will just go around farther up or down the track. Vehicle damage not withstanding. We won't even talk about the cost to equip 10's of thousands of crossings.

The only real way to prevent vehicle vs. train or pedestrian vs. train is to put the train where pedestrians and vehicles can't get to it: elevated or subterranean. Even then some creative idiot will find a way.
 
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