Re: British Accident 1sr Report Out - Thames Driver Not Being Blamed At This Point

[Ian Jelf <ian@bluebadge.demon.co.uk>]

In article <7tmf2v$1jkk$1@otis.netspace.net.au>, Exnarc
<gwrly@netspace.net.au> writes
>Ian,
>
>Its always easy to find a scapegoat after such an accident, the press do it
>all the time. However its rarely that simple, as you so rightly point out,
>heads may well roll eventually.
I also think that there's a difference between "fault" and
"responsibility", a distinction which is often not made sufficiently
clear.

>Without making any assumptions as to the real cause its interesting to hear
>the comments from ASLEF regarding the sighting of this signal, do ASLEF have
>a signal sighting committee or working party?
As far as I'm aware, no.   but I'd be open to further information from
anyone reading this who knows any different.

It's certainly interesting to hear about driver involvement in
signalling matters in Victoria.

>I know I've digressed but I was trying to find out if the Signal as
>mentioned at Paddington played a key part in the disaster, or whether it was
>just media hype?
As with so much about this awful incident, we simply don't know yet.
Accordingly, most things being stated in the media are exactly that:
hype.

About the best coverage here has been by the BBC.   ITN (the main
commerical TV news organisation) has indulged in some *very* sensational
assumptions (something they're not generally prone to do in my view).

Newspaper coverage has been very much more sensational, though.   I
don't usually read the Sunday papers;  this morning though I was on a
tour in an hotel in Bristol, so quite a few of my clients had papers
floating around.   They had some very distressing angles on the story.
-- 
Ian Jelf        http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk
Birmingham, UK
        Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide
        for the Heart of England and London