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BNSF Roadmaster Killed & Cell Phone Distraction
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<p>[quote user="Semper Vaporo"]</p> <p> <blockquote> <div><img src="/trccs/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> <strong>Sawtooth500:</strong></div> <div></div> <p> <blockquote> <div><img src="/trccs/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> <strong>TomDiehl:</strong></div> <div></div> <p> </p> <blockquote> <div><img src="/trccs/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> <strong>tree68:</strong></div> <div> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;color:#003300;">Specific RR rules notwithstanding, even if he was T&E, he could be on the cell phone as long as a job briefing was held and it was agreed that his being on the phone would not interfere with the operation of the train. Since his train was apparently stopped, this is entirely conceivable.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;color:#003300;">That doesn't exclude him from common sense, however.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;color:#003300;">As for MoW, it kinda depends but would fit the description I gave above. Lone worker, on the other hand, would speak against using a cell phone unless the worker is in the clear, due to the distraction and the reduced ability to recognize the approach of a train.</span></p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p> </p> </div> </blockquote> <p> </p> <p>Agreed Tree, more of a common sense issue. No matter how many rules you pass, you can't regulate how people think, or even if they think, before they do something. As a kid, I remember being taught the "Stop, Look, and Listen" rule before crossing the tracks, or the street.</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p> </p> </blockquote> </p> <p>I very strongly agree with this too. I have a real problem with laws like cell phone bans because my opinion is that in practice they have no change on behavior. Certain people didn't drive and talk on cell phones before any bans went into effect and other people did it (and still do so) after a ban has been put in place. </p> <p>Ultimately, every person is responsible for their own personal safety. This may sound cruel but it's just a fact of life - if someone gets hit by a train because they are on a cell phone, have headphones in, or just aren't paying attention, it's nobody's fault but their own and trying to litigate to make it any better has no effect. The only thing, in my opinion, that would have any effect is education, like Operation Lifesaver. The law is useless in this case!</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p> </p> </blockquote> </p> <p> </p> <p>People still rob banks whether or not there are laws against it. People still commit murder whether or not there are laws against it. Laws are not necessarily a deterant, but the do define what is acceptable in a society. Thus the law is not useless in any case.</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>Yes, and I would speculate that people would rob banks more often if there were not laws against it.</p> <p>Cell phones are distracting, and the distraction comes mostly from the conversation, not from dialing and fiddling with the phone. So, hands-free phones do not do much to reduce distraction. Some people can easily perform a task with some level of distraction, while others cannot. </p> <p>If the railroad industry believes that the level of distraction from cell phone use rises to a safety hazard when around trains, and they therefore ban cell phone use around trains, the rule ought to apply to everybody.</p>
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