Letter: Current technology could have prevented train crash
The three killed and 100 injured, plus millions of dollars in property damage and pending lawsuit costs in the recent AMTRAK train disaster near Dupont may have been easily and cheaply avoided with the application of technology found in GPS devices currently available to the public.
The navigation system I use in my automobile allows me to activate a setting in which an alarm sounds to warn me that I am approaching a speed limit change, and a second warning will sound if I exceed it. Implementation of “Positive Train Control” for all rail lines may be years away, but in the mean time a simple GPS warning system to alert inattentive crews would likely pay for itself 100 fold in lives and property losses prevented.
John C. Julian, Richland
This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Letter: Current technology could have prevented train crash."