Four years ago, Transportation Secretary Federico Pena started a new education campaign with the slogan, "Always expect a train." The idea was to somehow make motorists aware that railroad crossings are nothing to trifle with. It was a dismal failure.
In 1998, more than 500 people were killed at crossings nationwide. Another 1,800 were injured. Those numbers were right on average compared with other recent years. Every 90 minutes, a train hits someone in the United States. That is an predictable as Old Faithful. It happens as much in Utah as anywhere else.The only thing unique about the tragic crash of an Amtrak train in Bourbannais, Ill., last week was that it killed and injured so many people. But of all the causes of death that attract public attention, this one is the most preventable. The cure is to exercise patience, awareness and an ability to inhibit reckless and stupid desires. The most stupid of these is to drive around crossing gates that have been lowered.
Investigators have yet to determine whether the driver whose truck caused the accident in Illinois tried to maneuver his way around the barrier. But if he did, think of the awful consequences that came from a hasty act of impatience.
Railroad officials are frustrated. No wonder. People never seem to learn. In 1995, a long line of cars was stopped at a crossing at 12300 South and 500 West in Draper. Someone at the front of the line felt the train was coming too slowly and that life's other pressing needs outweighed the need for caution. That person went around the barrier. About 15 to 20 cars followed. A 16-year-old girl was driving the last one. She didn't think to look sideways, which is why she lost her life.
In 1997, Amtrak reported 245 accidents, 183 of which involved impatient drivers.
The federal government could put an end to the carnage. It could install specially designed barriers that could not be circumvented. But the cost to taxpayers would be enormous. Many thousands of crossings remain devoid of even the simplest of warning devices.
Unfortunately, no law can fully protect people from themselves. Until more people understand the physical certainty that a 150-car freight train traveling 50 mph needs 1.5 miles to stop, many will continue trying to beat the odds. Sometimes, they will win. But when they lose, they lose everything.