Last month, a Metro-North Railroad train plunged off the track while taking a sharp curve at 82 miles per hour, killing four and seriously injuring 20. In the aftermath, some experts said the disastrous results could have been prevented by positive train control (PTC). An automatic braking system built to slow down dangerous trains, PTC has been available since 1990. But the lifesaving tech remains widely unadopted.
“The Metro-North accident claimed four lives,” says Robert Sumwalt, a vice chairman at the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB). “We looked at the situation and said, had PTC been implemented, it would have prevented the accident, more than likely.”
Read the complete story at Popular Mechanics.
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