VIDEO AIDS L A SPAD PROBE
Posted on 12 December 2009
A new safety breach on the San Bernardino commuter line east of Union Station near downtown Los Angeles is under investigation. The current probe is among the first to study footage from newly installed video cameras that monitor drivers’ actions. In the incident, the driver of an outbound passenger train allegedly failed to stop at a red signal but realised his mistake and was able to bring the set to a halt before passing through points. This would have put him in the path of an inbound train approaching in the other direction. The incident is the fourth alleged red-light violation since the 12 September 2008 Chatsworth collision in which 25 people died. Investigators blamed that accident on the driver, who was said to have run a red light.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen meanwhile is suing commuter rail operator Metrolink over the installation of surveillance cameras, contending that they violate privacy rights.
[ The international expression SPAD means “signal passed at danger”. – editor
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