The Low-Tech Times

Text Messaging

OCRegister.com reports that the engineer of a Los Angeles commuter train may have been text messaging in the moments leading up to a head-on collision with a Union Pacific freight train that killed at least 25 people:

Nick Williams, who lives near the crash site, said he exchanged three text messages with the engineer Friday afternoon, the last one at 4:22 p.m., about a minute before the trains collided.

While the investigation is still ongoing, The Low-Tech Times urges people not to send text messages when operating vehicles (trains, trucks, cars, aircraft, etc.).  It simply is not a safe behavior.

See also:  Banning Texting and Driving

Missed Signals and Safety Factors

Since heavy freight trains can require more than a mile to stop, railroads provide Approach signals to give advance warning for trains to stop at the next signal.  In the case of the LA Commuter train, the engineer should have encountered an Approach signal prior to the station stop at the Chatsworth Metrolink Station.  It is possible that during the course of making the station stop, the engineer may have forgotten the previously encountered Approach signal and the need to stop at the next signal.  Even so, since commuter trains are typically lighter and shorter than freight trains, the engineer might have been able to stop in time if he had spotted the Stop signal at the beginning of the single track section where the accident occurred.  A text messaging conversation might have been a distraction that prevented that action from being taken.

On freight trains, there are typically at least two people (the conductor and the engineer) in the locomotive cab. Provided they are not distracting each other, having two pairs of eyes looking ahead reduces the likelihood of missed signals.  However, on passenger trains the conductor is normally assisting passengers back in the train leaving only the engineer to spot trackside signals.

Ongoing Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet completed their research and analysis of the accident.  Readers should wait for their assessment before drawing final conclusions.

The WINC 92.5 FM Morning Mindbender yesterday asked:

Besides running for president, what do Barack Obama and John McCain have in common?

The answer:

Neither have ever driven a stick shift automobile!

Since both candidates claim to be committed to the environment and reducing dependence on foreign oil, perhaps they should learn how to operate a manual transmission. As reported earlier, stick shift cars get 2-4 miles per gallon more than hi-tech automatic transmission vehicles. Driving a manual transmission car seems like an easy way to reduce not only pollution, but also reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

I suppose whoever wins won’t be driving themselves around very often though.

Having watched a good bit of both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions over the past two weeks, I think the presidential race is shaping up to be an interesting race this year in the U.S.

Biased?

I was watching ABC on free over-the-air television and noticed an apparent bias at the network. During the Tuesday night keynote address by Senator Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention, ABC showed her speech in it’s entirety.

Then on Friday, I was watching Palin’s first speech after McCain introduced her as his running mate. Like many other people, I had never seen Palin before and was interested in what she had to say. I was surprised when ABC cut away from her during the middle of her speech. Instead of showing the speech, they showed the ABC commentators. I quickly switched to CBS to watch the end of the live speech.

I was watching ABC again last Tuesday during the Republican National Convention. Senator Joe Lieberman gave the keynote address that night. ABC cut away during the middle of Lieberman’s speech to their commentators. I couldn’t believe it, but again was able to switch to another network to watch the end of the speech.

Showing the Tuesday night Democratic keynote address in its entirety, while cutting off Lieberman in the middle of the Republican Tuesday night keynote address, suggests a possible political bias at ABC News.

Senseless?

If not biased, then perhaps the producers are senseless at ABC News. Showing a speaker while he or she is speaking (instead of cutting away to Stephanopolis) just seems like common sense.

I’m really not against networks having commentators give their opinions on the air. However, I feel strongly that they should provide their comments after the speech, not during it. They should let people watch the complete speeches for themselves and make up their own minds.

It is difficult to say for sure what they are thinking at ABC News. The ABC network appears to be going downhill. ABC really hasn’t had a decent program since they canceled MacGyver in 1992.