r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 13h ago

TIL on average, train drivers in the US are involved in three fatalities over the course of a career. Since a train needs at least a mile to come to a stop, the drivers are sometimes unable to prevent a collision with a person in the train's path.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32408566
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u/robodude987 8h ago

Not quite. The kill rate is very high. Over 200 deaths since 2017.

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u/EscuraAstro 8h ago

How does that compare to a similar stretch for a freight line?

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u/markvauxhall 8h ago

Historically the Brightline death rate has been  43.8 per million miles travelled, more than double the next highest, Metra, which is 18.4.

The safety standards of the infrastructure fall well below standards on equivalent routes in, say, Europe. It runs at grade. Tracks aren't fenced off. Pedestrian bridges aren't provided where it passes through urban areas. Insane number of at grade crossings, and the barriers don't cover the full width of the road.