Train!

I’m hoping and wishing that everyone out there has a safe, but fun, 4th of July holiday weekend.

Sometimes the concepts of “safe” and “fun” are somewhat mutually exclusive, particularly when you are young.

Our visiting family members are back on the road toward Pennsylvania this afternoon, having survived the rainy weather earlier in the week, days and days of poolside sunshine, tons of my home cooking, and Vinny and Kris even successfully braved the evening rain, traffic, and crowds to attend the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in Daytona on Saturday night.

Once again surrounded by silence and solitude, I was reading my blog-friend Beth’s blog, She Who Will Be Obeyed, this evening and learned about the Operation Lifesaver Website.

“Operation Lifesaver is a national, non-profit education and awareness program dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way.”

Sounds like a good idea to me. It seems that trains cause more havoc than sharks each year:

According to preliminary Federal Railroad Administration statistics, in 2004 there were:

369 highway-rail grade crossing fatalities.

1,038 highway-rail grade crossing injuries.

480 pedestrian/trespass fatalities.

394 pedestrian/trespass injuries.

I’m embarrassed to report that my ignorant redneck neighbors in Georgia managed to make it into the top seven positions in all four of these categories.

And not to keep beating a dead horse, but isn’t it amazing that the TV and newspaper media have been freaking out and losing their minds over SHARK ATTACKS, when trains kill and injure on average ONE HUNDED TIMES as many people as sharks do each year.

And it’s not like sharks come flying out of crystal clear waters and kill or maim you at home while you are watching TV on your sofa. Likewise, trains rarely jump off of their tracks and run to places like St. Simons Island (where we have no railroad tracks) and cut your arms and head off.

Isn’t that a comforting concept?