RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 August 1924, Page 6

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

AVERTED BY MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCES. The technical explanation of railway accidents may vary in each case, but the underlying principle is nearly always that they are the effect o.f some possibly trivial variation from the usual routine, states a correspondent of the Manchester Guardian. 'The American railway engineer Keyes, who has occupied himself largely witli the psychology underlying raiiwav accidents, has arrived at this conclusion. There may sometimes be evidence of “negligence”; it is a momentary weakness of the brain (such as one may observe in oneself daily) called forth by a variation in routine or procedure. When circumstances do not vary there is little danger of a catastrophe. But a departure from the normal, he it a trifling delay, the insertion of a special train, or an unexpected and unusual behaviour of a signal, attracts the attention oi the official, raises his nervous tension, and turns his thoughts for seconds or minutes out of their customarj- course. With this “human uncertainty” we shall always have to reckon, and all efforts to avert railway accidents work towards creating mechanical contrivances which will react automatically, without the intervention of the human mind, to correct an error committed or to prevent its consequences.

There are, for instance, switches which can only be used once, and then readjust themselves automatically. Signals have been devised which, do not only announce to the engine-driver that the line is closed, but actually bring the train to a standstill when indicating this condition. This perfecting of safety conditions on the railway has made great strides of recent years, and if accidents cannot, unfortunately. be entirely avoided, they are greatly less. It is, for instance, interesting to know that the railway demands less sacrifice of life than’ the idyllic old coaching system; it is calculated at but a tenth of the okl slow travelling with horses. Accidents decrease in number, in fact, from year to year. For many years Germany* has held the record for least accidents, while the largest number occurs in America.