The Inside Story Of Train Accidents By Carla C. Ballatan At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The American society has continuously seen many developments concerning forms of transportation. However, long before the other forms of motorized vehicles had appealed to the masses, the train has been a longstanding mode of cargo and human transportation.

Trains were once powered by steam engine. In 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act, promoting the train as a main mode of transit for the masses. The Pacific Railroad Act paved the way for constructing the transcontinental railroad. This ultimately became the link for California to become part of the rest of the United States.

By 1865, considered the "golden age of railroads," there were no other forms of transit but the trains. Half a century would pass by without any other kind of vehicle challenging the railroads.

As the society advanced, though, and new forms of transportation were borne out of technological advances like diesel engines, the steam engine powered trains retired by 1970.

However, with the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, Amtrak was introduced to take charge of intercity railroad passenger services.

Even during the advent of many years, the train is still largely considered as a reliable form of mass transit. Most public commuters find it easier and quicker to ride in trains in getting to their area of destination. The increasing of population has also become a factor for the need of expanded types of mass transportation. The train fills up this requirement.

Millions of Americans rely on traveling by train as their necessary form of transport. They rely on train travel for their daily commute from home to work and vice versa.

Sadly, along with the longstanding history of trains are the tragedies that result from accidents in the railroads, collisions and other factors. According to authority institutions, about 3,000 train and / or railroad accidents occur annually. Along with this, the fatalities amount to 1,000 people being killed because of train accidents.

What could cause such devastating accidents?

Usually, the main causes of accidents involving trains and railroads are defects in the railroad tracks, mechanical failures, improperly loaded cargoes or much too heavy loads of cargo, negligence on the conductor's part and other human errors.

The National Transportation Safety Board studied the human factors involved in the occurrence of train accidents. Since 2001, NHTSA did investigations on about 29 accidents on railroads that involve train collisions and derailments.

The investigations turned out that most of the accidents happened due to the following human errors:

- Failure of train crews in abiding by the "train control signals."
- Failure to follow the operating procedures involved when in non-signaled or dark areas.
- Failure to observe the other definite operating rules like returning the track switches to their normal positions after they have completed their tasks at the track sidings.

Other human performance failures includes improper positioning of switches, loss of "situational awareness", usage of "after-arrival track warrants" when in dark terrains, usage of mobile phones, fatigue and other medical conditions.

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