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[quote user="schlimm"] Bucyrus:  Much of what you say about crossings and speed limits, although true in the East and some of the Midwest,  does not apply out West.  If you want to make rails with passenger trains running at 60-90 mph safe from cars and trucks, we need to begin a program of systematically eliminating low volume crossings and grade separating the rest.  It will take time and money, but there really isn't any workable alternative. <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] Schlimm, Eliminating crossings is surely the best way to eliminate the hazard for both vehicles and trains, but there are other less costly measures that could at least improve safety if not completely eliminate the hazard.  <o:p></o:p> In blaming the truck driver, I notice a tendency to want to assume that the driver was completely incorrigible, and therefore he would not have heeded any form of safety restriction such as lowering the speed limit over the crossing.  But that may or may not be true.  One thing is for sure.  The driver was not heedless once he saw the train.   <o:p></o:p> The common sentiment among forum members is that drivers are so stupid and heedless that nothing will get them to yield at crossings.  But this sweeping generalization gets in the way of finding better safety measures.       <o:p></o:p> I am not excusing the driver in this case, but I think the state bears some of the blame for allowing an established and known traffic hazard to routinely threaten the safety of densely packed people riding on passenger trains.  It is lucky that so few were killed in this crash.  The crash dynamics could have easily killed 100 people or more.
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