Federal Railroad Safety Program. 100 Years of Safer Railroads.

摘要

To understand the full impact of railroad safety legislation in the United States during the past 100 years, it is necessary to take a look at the state of railroad safety in the 1800's. As industries go, railroading is a relatively late development of the industrial revolution. By the 1850's railroading had become an important factor in the economic fiber of America, although it would be some years before rail transportation became the dominant mode of moving people and goods. By the end of the Civil War, the advantages in terms of both speed and cost of moving people and goods by rail were clear to all and the greatest period of railroad building in the history of the United States got underway. Railroads were being built at a frantic pace. During this period safety often took a back seat to profit and expansion. The number of injuries and deaths brought on by such things as poor maintenance, improper operation and inspection, poor training of employees, etc. caused a public outcry for government action to improve safety.