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Is Amtrak Crash Nevada’s Fault?
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe that it is technically possible for the Nevada crash crossing signals to be seen from one mile along the highway heading south from the crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With enough illumination power, anything is possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I also think that the NTSB statement is intentionally vague because, for the time being, they want the conclusion about the driver’s advance warning to be left intentionally vague.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, this maximum sight distance for the activated flashers is really beside the point because a driver has no responsibility to react to the grade crossing until he or she enters the so-called “Approach zone.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the approach zone begins at the location of the advance warning sign, which is 900 feet south of this Nevada crossing.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">The driver’s legal responsibility does not begin at the point where the red flashing lights first become visible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even from a practical standpoint, whether the red flashing lights are visible at ½ mile or even 1 mile is moot if the lights appear to be so small at those distances that it becomes unreasonable to rely on them as an attention-getting warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">So the northbound warning begins 900 feet from the crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That corresponds to my analysis that concludes a driver of a truck such as the one in the crash, traveling at 70 mph, has 2.92 seconds to react.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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