300 Citations Issued in Blue Line Sting

Police officers have written at least 300 citations along a two-mile section of the popular light rail Blue Line as part of a sting operation intended to reduce train accidents along this route. The sting took place along the Blue Line’s route in downtown Los Angeles and caught offenders jaywalking as well as drivers illegally talking on their cell phones and making illegal left turns. The Blue Line is Los Angele’s oldest and most popular train line, but this route is also the most dangerous line for train accidents.

The Blue Line crosses more than 100 intersections in some of So Cal’s most densely populated communities. These are some of the safety measures installed to reduce train accidents:

• The installation of LED signs to discourage drivers from making illegal turns in front of trains

• Installing four-quadrant crossing gates and pedestrian gates at several especially high-traffic intersections

• Lower fences along train tracks so operators have a wider field of view as they approach intersections

These changes have had a huge impact in lowering train accidents. In the first five years that trains operated on this line, there were 4.09 accidents per 100,000 train miles. In the last five years, that number has dropped to 1.09 per 100,000 train miles. Even though the numbers are encouraging, there have been 39 train accident fatalities in the last decade compared to 33 in the previous decade.

Long Beach train accident attorney Samer Habbas would like to remind his fellow Southern California residents that in most cases, they are the ones responsible for causing train accidents. Drivers and pedestrians who try to “beat” an oncoming train by moving around safety barriers are the most common causes of train accidents. However, if train operators do not follow safety protocols and people are injured or killed, accident victims and their families may wish to contact Southern California train accident attorneys such as Mr. Habbas. If you have questions about injuries you suffered in a train accident and want answers from an experienced California train accident lawyer , call 888.848.5084 today.

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