Why Using Seatbelts Can Avoid Railroad Crashes

If you are an avid moviegoer or a novel buff, you would notice that some dramatic scenes would involve train crashes. And remember the staged publicity stunt in Crush, Texas in 1896? Although two people were killed in this prearranged setup, it has drawn a massive spectacle of about 50,000 people during the crash. This is how railroad accidents have been prominent figures of popular culture in modern times, no matter how catastrophic it can be.

You might wonder how exactly railroad accidents become a major transportation problem in the United States, although modern railroads would prevent it otherwise. There are more than 500 reported injuries from railroad accidents every year, although fatalities have been very rare. The real problem though, is the accidents that happen in crossings. Collisions between head-on locomotive trains are much rarer than collisions by motor vehicles and trains on crossings. Statistics show that the risk of dying from colliding with a train is tenfold than a regular motor vehicle collision. Oftentimes pedestrians also get involved in these accidents.

Seatbelts have been long used by many motor vehicle drivers to lessen injuries brought by crashes. But it's being proposed today that seatbelts must be used as well by railroad passengers. Although seatbelts are not a standard installation for locomotives, it could produce the same result in reducing the injury as it is with motor vehicles. A study conducted by the Federal Railroad Association has simulated a full-scale railroad collision and has shown that seatbelts would prevent crash test dummies from being flung up and over the back compartments of the train cars. If these safety measures are followed, damages from lawsuits and settlements arising from these railroad crashes would have been reduced.

Another reason why seatbelts should be a standard installation for trains is due to the fact that there are some train cars and railroads today that do not comply yet with the safety standards set in 1989. The Federal Government has urged railroad companies to rebuild the cars and tracks using reinforced steel, yet about thirty thousand tankers still are not rebuilt.

Seatbelts have proven time and again to be lifesavers. We cannot depend on the stability of railways and train cars or human supervision to keep us safe from any danger, but we can push the government agencies to force all railroad companies to invest on rebuilding their railway systems that would meet the safety requirements. Moreover, as always, you can sue the railway company if you think your injury was due to their negligence.

By: J Matthews

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