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Too many idiots getting killed by trains
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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 don’t know about Europe, but in the U.S., the railroaders and railfans believe this grade crossing problem cannot be solved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say so all the time.<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;">That is <span style="text-decoration: underline;">why</span> they use the terms, morons and idiots to describe grade crossing victims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you can’t solve the problem, there needs to be a reason why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And drivers being morons and idiots is the perfect excuse because you cannot make anything idiot-proof. </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;">But the key to solving a problem is understanding it, and not only does the moron and idiot explanation mean the problem cannot be solved, but it is also the wrong explanation.<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;">Those labels clearly mean that crossing victims did not perceive the danger or even perceive the train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, that is sometimes the reason for the crash, but the overwhelmingly most common reason is the powerful motivation to beat the train.<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;">You can say someone is an idiot for trying to beat the train, but the better label is “gambler.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gambler is the proper term for risk-taker, and that is what most crossing victims were doing when they got hit.<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;">Gamblers and idiots have far different motives and require different approaches to crash prevention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you think the problem is that drivers are idiots, you add bells and flashing lights to get their attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But those attention getters have no effect on the gambler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bells and lights just tell the gambler it’s time to gamble. </span></span></p>
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