When God Handed Out Brains . . .

Patrick posted this link to about two people who died when they got hit by not one, but TWO trains. This brings to mind a PSA (Public Service Announcement) which we had at one of the radio stations where I worked. The PSA, sent to us by some national foundation for something or other (possibly the preservation of idiots?) was a 90-second warning that you should NOT try to "beat" a train across the tracks, you should NOT stop or park on train tracks, and that you should NOT walk, play or anything else on train tracks. The ominous voice of the overly-serious announce went on to inform us that "In the United States, someone is hit by a train every 90 minutes". By the way, most of the PSA's were 30 seconds, apparently train warnings warrant triple time. I don't mean to make fun of someone else's grief, so if you lost a loved one to a horrific train-vs-car accident, please stop reading. . .. . For the rest of us - who needs to be told to not park or drive on train tracks?? If this bit of info is news to you, we are doing the human gene pool a grave disservice by telling you! And beating the train across the tracks - this is something that may be vaguely understandable in hormone-overloaded teenage boys who believe themselves to be immortal, but in my understanding this is not the "usual" person who dies in this situation. More likely is an experienced adult driver, though the driver in today's story was only 19, who decides that the flashing warning lights and lowering bar do not apply to him or her and that they'll just "zip around" and not have to endure the boring wait as the train passes. These people are idiots. Trains are HUGE. They weigh more than my house and you can't stop one, or even slow it down, just because someone has to make it to their hair appointment, business meeting or squash game. Other people who are hit often seem (to bystanders or surviving passengers) not to have realized a train was coming. In the rare event that you are crossing a set of tracks with no lights/bar, let me just say: trains are noisy, trains are big. It's not hard to slow down enough to ensure you have checked both directions to see if several tons of chugging steal and cargo is headed right for you. Also, most trains whistle at crossings. As Peter, Paul and/or Mary pointed out, you can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles. (This may be hyperbole.) My point is - let's start saving the human race today. No more PSA's. No more warning labels on hair dryers, toasters and lawn mowers. No more settlements/lawsuits for people who injured themselves in a way that makes people say "Well, duh, what did you think would happen?".