@Greg Houser posted:I'm always amazed at the outcry on how dangerous activities undertaken by rail trespassers are especially in relation to other activities. Even if you leave in the suicides (which account for 28% of the deaths) in the US the fatality rate per 100k of population is ~.864. Here are some other death rates of activities per 100k of population:
- Skydiving - .99
- Running - 1.03
- Cycling - 1.08
- SWIMMING! - 1.77
- Riding/Driving a vehicle - 11.22
- Base jumping - 43.17
Pretty sure all of you regularly partake in the activity listed 5th which is more than 10 times more dangerous. Pot meet kettle and you're both the color black.
While what the poster did is certainly illegal and I'm all for him paying the penalty, it is hardly one of the most dangerous things you can do.
-Greg
Not at all a good analogy.
If the number of "trainhoppers" matched the number of skydivers or runners I suspect you'd see a BIG difference in injury and fatality statistics.
The lad who is doing the videos is young and agile yet ranks low in both experience and safety on and around railroad equipment. He's already gotten injured once in the videos when he misjudged the speed of the trains in Mexico and slipped off the sill step.
On a positive note, it was interesting to see that he not only got put off the train in Mexico but was later invited aboard for a cab ride by a crew who hid him in the lavatory when passing other railroaders. The way it used to be.
