Ted Elness: Why couldn’t we use drones to warn trains of impending catastrophe?
The dire prospect of seeing news of a train derailing seems as predictable as the hurricane season. We can’t control storm systems, but can’t our technology do a far better job in railroad safety? Here’s an idea: engage some of our wiz-bang university technology students (or, for that matter, drop-outs!) to develop small drones that fly ahead of trains to spot trouble and alert the engineers to slow down or put on the brakes!
I’ve thought of suggesting this to Rep. Jeff Denham, but apparently he doesn’t read e-mails. But he is on the House Transportation Committee and chairs the subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Now I know he’ll get this message.
Ted Elness, Turlock
This story was originally published June 20, 2016 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Ted Elness: Why couldn’t we use drones to warn trains of impending catastrophe?."