Addressing the deadly Washington D.C. train crash Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said the operator of the train that “slammed into a stationary train in front of it apparently had activated the emergency brakes in a failed effort to stop before the accident.” as reported in the Washington Post. Hersman said the “emergency brake button, known as the ‘mushroom,’ was depressed, and the steel rails showed evidence that the brakes were engaged.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called “ill-equipped” to detect problems
January 19, 2012
The National Highway Safety Administration has “troubling” shortcomings in its ability to detect problems with high-tech electronics in today’s cars, according to a 139 page study by the National Research Council.