I am currently on a Virgin train to Glasgow, sitting in a seat that faces forward with a table in front of me and then the hard back of the next seat in front of the table.
It occurs to me if the train derailed or crashes, then I probably won't stand a chance with all this hard plastic in front of me. If I was on a seat that was rear facing then I reckon your chances would improve dramatically?
There are no seat belts on trains though you do get them on a plane? Is rail safety so much better than other modes of travel that seat belts, seat positions etc are not a consideration?
What do the research and accident stats say?
Or am I just too bored on this journey!!!
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If you were in a rear facing seat during an accident you would get a face full of high speed passenger, luggage, and anything else unrestrained. So no better off.
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I've never understood why passengers are allowed to stand on trains, in the event of an accident there would be bodies flying around all over the place. There are regulations on coaches so why not trains?
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>> I've never understood why passengers are allowed to stand on trains, in the event of
>> an accident there would be bodies flying around all over the place. There are regulations
>> on coaches so why not trains?
>>
Probably because there is infinitely more chance of a coach suddenly going off the road than a train. Coach driver falls asleep at the wheel; coach crashes. Train driver falls asleep; train stops safely.
And thank heavens you can move around on trains. It's the main reason that they are my preferred mode of public transport.
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Trains are fairly safe places to be.......There have been some fairly horrendous accidents but when you look at the strength of modern coaches, I don't think being belted in would be worth it. Look at Grayrigg, where a modern Pendolino careered down the bank into the field with only one death, a lady in her 80s who may have been frail anyway.
I came across a Youtube a while ago when looking at some lorry videos. In some Spanish speaking country, a bus had swerved across the road at speed, hitting the leading end of a huge wide load, missing the tractor unit. The damage was massive, the whole driver's side of the bus had been ripped out killing 15 passengers and probably the driver. It's a mega gruesome film so I'm not going to post it, but I'm sure if people were belted in then the death toll would have been greater. Not having belts at least may have given some alert passengers the option of seeing what was coming.
I suppose seat belts in an aircraft protect from bumpy landings and turbulence but little else. Fly into the side of Mount Teide, as my mate and his fiancee did, and you've no chance !
Ted
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>> I am currently on a Virgin train to Glasgow, sitting in a seat that faces
>> forward with a table in front of me and then the hard back of the
>> next seat in front of the table.
>>
>> It occurs to me if the train derailed or crashes,
Statistically insignificant event, not worth worrying about, Get back to Angry Birds on your phone and forget about it
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Have never played angry birds in my life!
Incidentally going down to Birmingham my seat was facing backwards and journey fine. Tonight seat facing forward and I felt travel sick! Coincidence or just a result of a day's conference and lots of coffee and treats consumed?
And a few beers last night as well . . .
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Not an unusual phenomenon. My late father could never travel in the back of the works van (side-facing bench seats) but was fine in the front as a passenger; present Mrs. HM cannot travel in the back seat of a car but is fine on a bus, just as well as she drives 'em for a living!
My sister, when younger, could only travel on trains for any distance, she still gets mildly car-sick on longer journeys.
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I much prefer to ' face the engine ' on a train. I think it's to do with vision, I like to see what's coming up outside so I can concentrate on something that looks interesting. Sitting the other way, the view just appears suddenly and is gone before you've a chance to get the brain working.
Maybe it's just moi !
Ted
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I always try to face backwards. I just feel it would be easier to avoid stuff flying at me, then it would be to avoid stuff I was flying at.
I always liked flying South West when I lived in Dallas since then you got to face backwards and I always figured the plane wasn't likely to reverse into something. The habit stuck from there..
Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 22 Aug 13 at 00:04
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Perhaps personal air-bags are the answer for people wracked by worry over health and safety.
You should wear one all the time, especially at home, which is the most dangerous place to be.
Like a sort of lifejacket, which would inflate an all-enveloping airbag in the event of any incident.
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>> You can buy one here. www.bonhams.com/auctions/14267/lot/525/
>>
One of these is a little more discreet.
www.hovding.com/en/
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>> I always liked flying South West when I lived in Dallas since then you got
>> to face backwards
That's interesting I didn't think any jet, bar VC-10, had rear facing seats. 737 was it?
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I think they were 737s. Just checking and it seems that South West phased them out over the last 10 years.
Pity.
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Might be in luck wiki reckons BA and united do them up front. Only one's left now the vc-10 is pretty much gone.
Last edited by: sooty123 on Thu 22 Aug 13 at 20:39
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>I think they were 737s.
They were 737s in a 3+3 layout with some seats facing each other like a train carriage. I used them a few times when we lived in Austin and the fare was coming out of my own pocket.
South West were the inspiration for Ryanair.
Last edited by: Kevin on Thu 22 Aug 13 at 21:18
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>> South West were the inspiration for Ryanair.
Yeah they were. South West Trains that is....
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"I am currently on a Virgin train to Glasgow, sitting in a seat that faces forward with a table in front of me and then the hard back of the next seat in front of the table."
I tried rear facing on a virgin back in 1985. Inexperience caused me derailing a couple of times but no major accidents.
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If possible I always travel with my back the driver on trains - I prefer to see where I have been. I have never suffered with travel sickness on the Pendolino, but I know people who do. I think the main reason is the small windows that don't line up with the seats properly. The windows are small for safety reasons apparently.
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Just about to jack in London job and commuting after 23 years of a 130 mile daily round trip. OK travelling forwards or backwards but cannot do with sideways benches in coach C of London Midland's Class 350 sets.
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>> Is rail safety so much better than other modes of travel that seat belts, seat
>> positions etc are not a consideration?
>>
>> What do the research and accident stats say?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/978361.stm
"Paddington, which was the worst rail accident in recent years killed 31 people, but road accidents killed 3,400 last year, seriously injured 35,000 others and caused slight injury to 300,000 people."
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Train seating safety - Old Navy
