Re: Another level crossing crash in Scotland

In message <xjbyluabh42e.6k79psa7nlhs$.dlg@xxxxxxxxxx>
Chris Tolley <cj.tolley@xxxxxxxxxxx (ukonline really)> wrote:

rail wrote:

[snip]

Part of the problem here appears to be that people are not taking the
trouble to verify that the crossing is clear.

No the problem is people ignoring the warning signs despite knowing
perfectly well what they are indicating.

Some of them are. I suspect there are some who just get so used to driving
over it and never being hindered by a train that perhaps they mentally
blank it out. The warning lights may similarly be blanked out on the basis
that some traffic lights still change even when there is no traffic around.

And the difference between that and ignoring them is?


Slowing them down before they get to it is one way of giving them time
and a reminder to do so.

More likely to distract them at just the wrong moment. Also those who
ignore the flashing lights, the yodalarm and the sight of several hundred
tons of train approaching at speed are not going to be affected by a
patently ridiculous speed limit.

If they are lying about not seeing those things, you are right. But I'm not
making the assumption that all motorists lie all the time about such
things. Why are you?

Your assumption, see above.


They may indeed resent the "stupidly" low limit. Indeed, partly I'm
hoping they will, since it might encourage those who are impatient
(especially if they are using this unclassified route as a rat run to
avoid the nearby A9) to go by a slightly different route.

Also, as any car driver should be able to tell you, most car speedos
don't start to register accurately until at least 10mph.

That's an interesting piece of misdirection.

Not at all, try making a 10mph limit stand up in court.

Not my job, sir.

Never is somehow. You suggest something totally imparcatical and expect
someone else to make it work.

If such a limit can be legally posted, then I have no
doubt it can be enforced, if there is the will.

That's far too many ifs.


Most *capable, experienced* motorists should also be able to tell you
that they don't require speedos to tell them how fast they are going.

Then, mostly, they are talking bollocks as any police officer will tell
you.

F'rinstance, my idea of 10mph in megastore car parks turns out to be
about 7mph according to the GPS, and my idea of 30mph turns out by the
same measure to be about 28mph. YMPHMV.

It will vary a lot depending on the experience of the driver, his
familiarity with the vehicle he's driving, the lighting conditions (speed
appears greater at night) and so on.

Quite. I thought I'd save time by not writing that, since I thought
"*capable, experienced*" needed no further unpacking.

I don't care how capable or experienced the driver is, in a strange vehicle
or on a strange road or in unusual weather conditions his estimate of the
speed is going to be even less trustworthy than usual.


Also not everybody uses GPS to navigate round car parks. In fact if you
are driving round a superstore car park the last thing you should be
doing is looking at the GPS.

The GPS sits in front of me, whether I am using it to navigate (which is
very rare, in fact) or whether I am merely using it to log my journeys.
Actually, it only displays the speed when I am not in navigating mode.


Mine displays the speed all the time, and beeps at me if I'm exceding the
limit, but only on motorways.

The point was that in a supermarket car park there are all sorts of hazards
you should be concentrating on rather than your in-car gadgets.

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at <www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail>
.

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