We are a long way from knowing just what happened with AMTRAC 188. That it was traveling way too fast is obvious, but it will likely be months before we have an explanation as to what went on. As far as we know, the engineer was not a recent convert to islame, so ISIS is far down the list of culprits. Next up, check his netflix account to see if he was watching Unstopable this weekend.
Saying it could have been a lot worse is little comfort for the families who lost loved ones, yet it is the stark truth in this case. AMTRAC cars are not built to NASCAR standards. 100 MPH is not on the list of standards they build to, and there were no restraints.
Travel in this country is fast regressing. If you fly, you get a thorough medical exam complete with colonoscopy to make sure you are not sneaking 7oz of mouth wash onto the flight. Then you ride in the equivalent of the back seat of a VW bug. Our rail system is being financed with money borrowed from our great grand children, and even then they are woefully behind on safety programs. Plus we have places wanting to build light rail when there is little to no demand for it.
Accidents happen. It sucks when they happen to you. They have black boxes on the trains like they do in aircraft. I want to know if that includes a voice recorder. I dread to think his last words prior to the crash were "Somebody hold my beer and watch this!" He is from western Tennessee after all.
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