Can any of our very talented local news reporters ask Mrs. Valencia (the pregnant woman who survived the Mont.Co. railroad crossing incident) why it is that she & her car were right in the middle of the railroad tracks during rush hour? I mean, the lights were not flashing and the barriers were not coming down when she was stuck there, but eventually a MARC train was barreling down, and the barriers and signals did start alerting. Isn't it common sense not to stop in the middle of the tracks, with or without traffic? Also, has anyone asked her if she was utilizing her cell phone prior to the horrific accident? Mrs. Valencia stated today that she wants to improve railroad safety, and that starts with common sense. I'm happy that she and her baby survived the accident, but lady, your 15 minutes are up.
This is the first I have heard the story, but I see people do that from time to time. Unless I have room to get on the other side of the barriers, I stay outside the barriers on my side..
TSR - for your Maryland ping list.
All others - this story is driving me NUTS! Read post #1 as to why.
I agree but I have always being told never to stop on tracks.
My reading of the article is that once she followed another driver too closely and that driver stopped, she had no choice but to stop on the tracks.
It is my observation that following too closely and tailgating are much more common with female drivers. I haven't yet heard a woman correctly state the proper distance to maintain between cars on highways.
I actually ride this commuter train back and forth to work a couple of times each week. Yesterday, the conductor was still talking about this woman and why she froze when she got stuck.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
The same type of person around here will block the intersection during the green light when traffic is slow.
Well, lets start with the last two words. Common sense is something she is lacking. You never, ever STOP on railroad tracks. What happened to the: "Stop, Look and Listen" before crossing? Always make sure the tracks are clear and roll over them with enough speed to get PAST the crossing arms.
Also, a 270,000-pound locomotive and several passenger cars weigh a lot more than any passenger car and take a long time to stop. A fully loaded 100 car freight train takes over one mile to stop. I don't think any train engineer can see what is on the tracks one mile in front of the train.
Here is a video Mrs. Valencia should watch.