This was the worst train crash in Japan since 1963, if memory serves--and the ONLY train crash since 2000, when a train derailed and was subsequently hit by another train in Nakameguro, Tokyo, resulting in 5 deaths.
-
-
Show this thread
-
So, for Japan: 2000: 5 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 107 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 ...a grand total of 112 fatalities caused by train crashes. How about the USA?
Show this thread -
Source: https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_02_01.html_mfd … 2000: 10 2001: 6 2002: 15 2003: 4 2004: 13 2005: 33 2006: 6 2007: 9 2008: 27 2009: 4 2010: 8 2011: 6 2012: 9 2013: 11 2014: 5 2015: 11 2016: 8 ...185 fatalities in the same time frame.
Show this thread -
Problem is USA carries 4.95 billion passengers on all of its railways (Amtrak, Commuter, Subway, Streetcar, etc) in a year, whereas Japan carries 18 billion passengers per year *just on its largest rail companies* (JR East, West, Central + 16 major private rail operators)
Show this thread -
So Japan is averaging 6.6 deaths per year with over 18 billion riders...whereas the USA is averaging 10.9 deaths per year with less than 5 billion riders Nearly twice as many deaths despite less than a third of the ridership! Very troubling safety record here...
Show this thread -
I haven't heard any information yet about the cause of this accident in Washington, and it's possible that it was due to human error, which (as was the case in Amagasaki) can thwart the best of safety measures...
Show this thread -
...but that's kind of beside the point, which is that we have an unacceptable number of "background fatalities" happening every year on our railways which nobody bats an eye at. Huge, newsworthy crashes are bound to happen occasionally--but there's no excuse for the rest!
Show this thread -
I suppose we're just a bit desensitized by the incredible amount of carnage that goes down on our roads every year--what's a dozen dead in a train crash every year, compared to 40,000 dead in car crashes? But that's just an explanation--it is not an excuse!
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
I lived in the Tokyo region back when that happened. Japanese broadcasters went wall-to-wall with coverage for days if not weeks.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Well in our unhuman world humans are not equal, we have 1, 2, and 3 class human being.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.