An argument against strict rail safety regulation is that you cannot legislate against human error. Yet, we do so all the time with speed limits for cars and trains. Moreover 3 out of 4 derailments are caused by flaws in the infrastructure (track geometry, broken rails, rotting ties, weak bridges) or rolling stock (axles, wheels, suspensions) which can be detected by frequent thorough inspections. Of the remaining 25% of derailments , half are due to putting the cars in the wrong sequence, overloading them, or having the loads out of balance, which, again, can be caught by an inspection, leaving only 1 in 8 derailments resulting from speeding, mishandling the switches, or other causes.
So the Federal Railroad Administration should be demanding more and better inspections, especially of rails and hazmat loads heading through dense populations.
But even the touted new rules are silent on inspections. The FRA continues to let the railroads off the hook. Let them hear for a change from people concerned for their health and safety. They already hear from people (corporations are, I guess, people) concerned for their profits. Sign the petition at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/enforce-railroad-health?source=s.fwd&r_by=1718159
An argument against strict rail safety regulation is that you cannot legislate against human error. Yet, we do so all the time with speed limits for cars and trains. Moreover 3 out of 4 derailments are caused by flaws in the infrastructure (track geometry, broken rails, rotting ties, weak bridges) or rolling stock (axles, wheels, suspensions) which can be detected by frequent thorough inspections. Of the remaining 25% of derailments , half are due to putting the cars in the wrong sequence, overloading them, or having the loads out of balance, which, again, can be caught by an inspection, leaving only 1 in 8 derailments resulting from speeding, mishandling the switches, or other causes.
So the Federal Railroad Administration should be demanding more and better inspections, especially of rails and hazmat loads heading through dense populations.
But even the touted new rules are silent on inspections. The FRA continues to let the railroads off the hook. Let them hear for a change from people concerned for their health and safety. They already hear from people (corporations are, I guess, people) concerned for their profits. Sign the petition at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/enforce-railroad-health?source=s.fwd&r_by=1718159