I am amazed at how often cars race trains
to a crossing, in order to just barely cross in front of it.
This seems to be a right of passage for young drivers in rural
areas as they learn to drive. I have even seen this depicted
in Hollywood films, as those "wild and crazy teenagers"
are out having fun on Friday night. After a train runs over
a vehicle at a crossing, folks often wonder why the car cut
in front of the train, when the train was obviously so close
and moving so fast. Kids aren't the only ones who do it; impatience
on the part of hurried drivers results in hundreds of railroad
crossing deaths each year.
As
a train approaches you, an optical illusion is created
that masks the speed of the train -- making it appear to be
traveling slower than it really is. The illusion is a result
of the train's size and the narrowing aspect of the tracks
and train as they recede in the distance. Imagine the horror
of a driver and the passengers in a vehicle as they cut in
front of a train and suddenly realize they have no time to
get out of its way. According to Operation
Lifesaver (a non-profit railroad safety organization),
the forces of a train/car collision are very close to the
same thing as a car running over and crushing an aluminum
can!
Respect the train for what it is -- an
irresistible force and remember that your car is not an immoveable
object! A train is like an ocean liner -- it may take it more
than a mile to stop. Never play chicken with a train by trying
to beat it to a grade crossing. Do not drive around lowered
gates if the signals indicate a train is coming. Remember
to wait after a train passes, until you can clearly see in
both directions. Many are killed when they proceed after a
train clears a crossing, and a speeding train on a second
set of tracks smacks them from the other direction.
If your vehicle gets stuck on the tracks,
do not hang around trying to start it, or push it off, if
a train is approaching. Get away! If you have to leave your
vehicle behind and you know it is going to be hit, remember
to run toward the approaching train, not away from it; the
debris from a collision will be thrown ahead of the train
and it can overtake and kill you.
Operation Lifesaver has a video presentation
showing a camera crew riding along with a working train crew.
Watching it, I was struck by the incredulity of the train
crews as they watched car after car (and trucks as well),
dart around the gates and try to make it across even as the
train was on top of the crossing. The crews see this as a
kind of Russian Roulette, and they weigh the chances of each
vehicle as it cuts across the tracks in front of them. They
laugh nervously, knowing they have absolutely no chance of
stopping even if they tried. In 2002, there were over 3,000
car-train collisions in the United States. Don't become a
statistic! Be cautious around railroad tracks, and STOP COLD
for trains. Click
here for more information about Operation Lifesaver.
Keep the shiny side up!
<Rule
#34: Deal With Light Glare
Rule #36: Beware of Stopped or Slow-moving
Vehicles>
