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Amtrak Accident - Non-Working Crossing Signals
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>Last Thursday, I had a long conversation with a person at the <U>Manual On Uniform Traffic Control Devices</U>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He told me that it is common for drivers to be required by law to yield to trains by slowing down and looking for them at signalized crossings even when the signals are not activated.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And in such cases, a driver would be found at fault for a collision with a train even if the signals had failed to activate.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As has been pointed out by Jeff in an above post, the law in Illinois requires drivers to yield to trains even if the signals are not activated.</FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>The thing to keep in mind is that a crossing with signals that happen to be inoperable is <U>far</U> more dangerous to drivers than if the same crossing had no signals, and was protected by only a crossbuck.</FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>Consider a line of traffic letting out of the dance competition, all anxious to get somewhere else, all bunched up at a stop sign with a grade crossing ahead of it, and proceeding one by one over the crossing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I suspect that several of these drivers may have seen the approaching train, but disregarded it because the signals said the crossing was clear. </FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>I think it is highly unrealistic to expect drivers to anticipate danger when the crossing gates and lights are not activated.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It certainly is not intuitive.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If drivers are expected to know this, the signage needs to indicate that the automatic crossing protection is not completely reliable, and therefore, drivers must slow down, look for trains, and make sure none are closely approaching before crossing when the crossing protection is not activated.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=verdana,geneva size=2></FONT></SPAN> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=verdana,geneva><FONT size=2>However, such a warning officially sends the message that the crossing protection is not reliable, which opens up another legal can of worms.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I don’t think the industry wants to send that message.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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