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Using GPS To Prevent Train Crashes In India

Posted by timothy on from the appropriate-technology dept.

dave420 writes "The BBC has an article outlining plans in India to use GPS technology to alert train drivers of obstructions on the tracks, automatically stopping the train if the driver fails to take action. This sounds like a good use of cheaply-available technology to provide a safer train network."

2 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Sooo.... by Creepy+Crawler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What happens when the USA turns off or munges GPS information again? Is Europe still considering if they should make a secondary GPS system?

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  2. better than nothing, but... by kaan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Having heard countless stories from most of my Indian pals over the years, I'm really curious how much of a difference this GPS plan will make. Sure, it's might be better than the way things are right now, but it seems that the transportation problems are endemic to society and thus not fixable (or even help-able) with something like GPS devices. And this isn't limited to just trains; there are apparently bus accidents all the time, too.

    Having not been to India myself, I have to go with my second-hand knowledge and stories I hear, but it pretty much sounds like the Indian economy would never support the kinds of changes required to make mass transit actually safe. I'm interested to hear others' thoughts on this.