Re: Regulation of Safety

To answer the question Mesaman asked in his most recent post...

Ricky Gates was the Conrail engineer responsible for a 1987 accident on the Northeast Corridor that killed sixteen and injured many others. Gates' light locomotive ran a red signal near Baltimore and collided with an Amtrak train. As it turned out, he had a history of substance abuse, including a suspended driver's license for DWI. Following the accident, Gates tested positive for marijuana use. His conductor admitted that they were watching a ball game on a portable TV in the cab when they passed the red signal. After conviction on a vehicular homicide charge, Gates served five years in prison. As I mentioned earlier, the furore that arose after the accident resulted in a bevy of FRA regulations, including mandatory drug testing, "efficiency" testing and FRA engineer licenses.