daveb0789:
Trains run in a controlled environment and the last fatal accident (excluding suicides) happened in 2007 due to faulty points. Train drivers are far more professional than drivers of road vehicles too which is why we (train drivers) are the only ones allowed to exceed 70 mph on a daily basis (emergency vehicles excluded)
Nothing like blowing your own trumpet eh?
I reckon pilots are positively encouraged to exceed 70 mph on a daily basis! Does that make them even more professional than a train driver then?
Of course quite a few Spanish families may be right now questioning the wisdom of letting train drivers travel at high speed!m
They’re so professional that they can crash in a straight line with no traffic 
waynedl:
They’re so professional that they can crash in a straight line with no traffic
Nice one Wayne & in a vehicle that is on rails with no steering as such!!!
daveb0789:
Trains run in a controlled environment and the last fatal accident (excluding suicides) happened in 2007 due to faulty points. Train drivers are far more professional than drivers of road vehicles too which is why we (train drivers) are the only ones allowed to exceed 70 mph on a daily basis (emergency vehicles excluded)
You are correct, we lorry drivers have to contend with all sorts of other drivers, some with a great deal of experience others with much less. We also have to make split second decisons constantly, weather, diversions and host of other changes to our plans.
The difference as you say is that you are professional drivers who spend your day in the company of other professional drivers. Generally with the exception of the suicides and those drivers that fail to stop at red signals yours is a pretty safe working environment compared with ours.
the maoster:
I reckon pilots are positively encouraged to exceed 70 mph on a daily basis! Does that make them even more professional than a train driver then?Of course quite a few Spanish families may be right now questioning the wisdom of letting train drivers travel at high speed!
Absolutely, pilots are more professional than train drivers and are classed as such - they after all command the fastest ‘vehicles’ on the planet.
Yeah that train crash was in Spain - nothing to with Britain which has one of the safest railway systems in the world.
waddy640:
daveb0789:
Trains run in a controlled environment and the last fatal accident (excluding suicides) happened in 2007 due to faulty points. Train drivers are far more professional than drivers of road vehicles too which is why we (train drivers) are the only ones allowed to exceed 70 mph on a daily basis (emergency vehicles excluded)You are correct, we lorry drivers have to contend with all sorts of other drivers, some with a great deal of experience others with much less. We also have to make split second decisons constantly, weather, diversions and host of other changes to our plans.
The difference as you say is that you are professional drivers who spend your day in the company of other professional drivers. Generally with the exception of the suicides and those drivers that fail to stop at red signals yours is a pretty safe working environment compared with ours.
I drive coaches as well and have done for many years. The difference is that a vehicle is expected to drive at a speed which it can react to hazards and the training to do this is hardly lengthy. Someone with a car licence could train to drive a rigid HGV within 2 weeks.
As for hazards you have no idea - there are plenty. There are plenty of foot crossings even on higher speed lines where people cross without paying attention, i have to be aware of weather conditions as even slight drizzle can impair the braking performance of the train. Awareness of gradients is also important as these also affect things and they are very slight compared with gradients on the road but can affect a train greatly. All this means the concentration levels needed to drive a train are higher than needed to drive a road vehicle.
daveb0789:
waddy640:
daveb0789:
Trains run in a controlled environment and the last fatal accident (excluding suicides) happened in 2007 due to faulty points. Train drivers are far more professional than drivers of road vehicles too which is why we (train drivers) are the only ones allowed to exceed 70 mph on a daily basis (emergency vehicles excluded)You are correct, we lorry drivers have to contend with all sorts of other drivers, some with a great deal of experience others with much less. We also have to make split second decisons constantly, weather, diversions and host of other changes to our plans.
The difference as you say is that you are professional drivers who spend your day in the company of other professional drivers. Generally with the exception of the suicides and those drivers that fail to stop at red signals yours is a pretty safe working environment compared with ours.
I drive coaches as well and have done for many years. The difference is that a vehicle is expected to drive at a speed which it can react to hazards and the training to do this is hardly lengthy. Someone with a car licence could train to drive a rigid HGV within 2 weeks.
As for hazards you have no idea - there are plenty. There are plenty of foot crossings even on higher speed lines where people cross without paying attention, i have to be aware of weather conditions as even slight drizzle can impair the braking performance of the train. Awareness of gradients is also important as these also affect things and they are very slight compared with gradients on the road but can affect a train greatly. All this means the concentration levels needed to drive a train are higher than needed to drive a road vehicle.
Sounds like a gps enabled robot would be better suited 
Computers can of course drive trains. But they are generally only used in cities - self contained metro systems. One thing they can’t seem to deal with is rain lol
Rear facing seats are a good safety feature, as vehicles are usually travelling forwards when they hit something. But apparently not popular as most passengers like to face in the direction they are moving. A notable exception was the RAF VC10s (obviously aeroplanes very rarely reverse into anything at high speed)
Interestingly, the megabus sleeper with bunk beds doesn’t require passengers to be strapped in.
