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Regarding the U.P. website saying this:  <o:p></o:p> “Signals, signs, lights and horns are important safety aids, but ultimately it is the motorist’s decision whether or not it is safe to cross the tracks.”<o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> As I mentioned, I initially contacted U.P. and talked with somebody in their public communications department.  He gave me a baffling explanation of what the statement on their website means that seemed to boil down to the fact that everybody has free will, so they are free to decide what rules they will follow.   <o:p></o:p> I don’t believe the U.P. statement is actually intended to convey that free will point.  It probably was the only explanation he could think of, but it is not convincing.  There are ten commandments.  Why would you want to add an eleventh commandment saying that ultimately it is everyone’s decision whether or not to obey the first ten?  Wouldn’t it go without saying and wouldn’t it sort of water down the authoritative gravity of the Ten Commandments?  <o:p></o:p> It is rather obvious that what U.P. was actually trying to say is something like this:   <o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> Signals, signs, lights and horns are important safety aids that impose legal requirements on motorists, but they can do no good if motorists do not comply with those requirements.      <o:p></o:p> But, whatever they were trying to say, the statement conveys another meaning that suggests that the crossing protection system is advisory rather than regulatory.  To me, that meaning is obvious.  It is far more obvious and fitting than the free will interpretation.  Yet, I simply could not get the U.P. rep to understand my advisory/regulatory interpretation of their website statement.  I was surprised that he found it so hard to grasp.  <o:p></o:p> So I wrote an explanation of my point in the clearest manner that I could, and sent it to another contact person at U.P.  I have been told by that person that she understands my point about the second meaning, and that another individual has been tasked with reviewing the matter and presenting it to the owners of the webpage to see if they understand it and want to revise the language.       <o:p></o:p>
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