Re: QUIET ZONE

Ron, you may be right, but I doubt it. Consider that the vast majority of crossing accidents occur when the engineer gave MORE than the required minimum horn signal, and you will come to the comclusion that the horn apparently does not deter an idiot from his/her purpose. Add to that the fact that most accidents happen during daylight hours and at crossings which have lights, bells, and gates, and you come away thinking that some people are just hell bent on self destruction.

The problem with making something foolproof is that fools are so damned ingenious. In this case, I doubt that the horn would have mattered. After all, it's not like the train was rolling around the curve in the middle of the night with the lights off. It was broad daylight, with plenty of visibility, the bell was ringing, and of course the crossing had active protection as well. The driver simply failed to act responsibly, and other people paid with their lives. As someone else said, I sincerely hope that the driver faces multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. At the very least, they should NEVER be allowed to operate a motor vehicle again. I wouldn't let him on my lawn mower, let alone drive a big rig.

Ken Rickman

Ron Keagle Wrote:
=======================================================
> This crash will cause a review of the use of quiet
> zones.. In this crash, the locomotive horn could have made
> the difference.. in this case, the horn signal
> was too late to do any good.

Kenneth Rickman
Researching and modeling the Danville & Western Ry.
[southern-railway.railfan.net]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2012 12:04PM by DKRickman.