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Let's dig further into the root causes. WSJ: "An anti-crash system for trains designed to thwart serious accidents of human error, such as derailments from ove

by mkempe 9y ago

Let's dig further into the root causes. WSJ: "An anti-crash system for trains designed to thwart serious accidents of human error, such as derailments from over-speeding, wasn't activated, according to an Amtrak spokeswoman. The deadline to install such systems, known as positive train control [PCT], is December 2018." [1] PCT [2] was mandated by Congress in October 2008. It was required to be deployed and activated by 2015; however in October 2015 the deadline was pushed another three years, to December 2018. [3] Meanwhile, some form of train protection system has been operational in Europe for over one hundred years, and automated train control has been deployed in Japan since the 60s. [4] [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/amtrak-train-derails-near-seattle-1513616460 https://www.wsj.com/articles/amtrak-train-derails-near-seatt... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_train_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_train_control [3] https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/congress-approves-railroad-safety-delay-215260 https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/congress-approves-rai... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_control#Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_control#Japan

nanis 9y ago
If you drive more than 80 MPH in a 30 MPH zone, you don't get to blame anyone or anything else.
- mkempe 9y ago
  Regardless of how much an individual is to blame or not, fail-safe controls are a proper part of engineering practice, for two fundamental reasons: unknown unknowns, and human fallibility.
  - nanis 9y ago
    The root cause is an engineer who drives the train at almost three times the speed limit --- not lack of PTC. The answer is to hold engineers accountable when they recklessly kill people. Do you think these same engineers who flaunt speed limits now will be more or less likely to do dangerous things when there PTC? Does having PTC mean absolutely no chance of an accident when an engineer behaves recklessly?

by mkempe 9y ago

nanis 9y ago

If you drive more than 80 MPH in a 30 MPH zone, you don't get to blame anyone or anything else.

mkempe 9y ago
Regardless of how much an individual is to blame or not, fail-safe controls are a proper part of engineering practice, for two fundamental reasons: unknown unknowns, and human fallibility.
- nanis 9y ago
  The root cause is an engineer who drives the train at almost three times the speed limit --- not lack of PTC. The answer is to hold engineers accountable when they recklessly kill people. Do you think these same engineers who flaunt speed limits now will be more or less likely to do dangerous things when there PTC? Does having PTC mean absolutely no chance of an accident when an engineer behaves recklessly?