Re: Where Berg got his 79.99999 speed limit from.
Author: On time performance
Date: 01-02-2018 - 11:20
If the cause ends up being a human performance issue, you must also consider the culture of management. How often have employees faced the decision of operating to the letter or the rules vs. meeting management expectations & demands.
Under pressure of time restrictions or on-time performance you can essentially be working under duress. At 79MPH(116 feet per second) vs say 40MPH(58 feet per second)you don’t have much time to react. If your gut or brain say to slow down ahead of the reduction because you are unsure of the location but you are trying to keep a scheduled time to meet expectations. Weather, visibility and other environmental factors are always part of a accident report as they can affect things that might not pop up under ideal conditions.
On freeways when a sharp curve is ahead, lots of arrow sings and flashing lights are often employed to warn of the danger and sorted reduction necessary.
RR’s generally have a restriction ahead and a speed board and that’s about it regardless of the reason for the reduction or restriction. Poor placement, trees blocking visual sight lines etc. can be factors.
This is not to say that a mechanical issue could not be at fault or a contributing factor, but there are multiple avenues on the human performance spectrum that must be analyzed & investigated including fatigue, medical issues etc. Captured video will do a lot to rule out or in many of these elements.
It is important that the investigation and report are accurate to make prudent recomendations or actions to take.