Our post earlier this week focused on a fatal collision between a light rail train and an SUV in South Sacramento. The tragic light rail accident took the lives of three people inside the SUV who represented three generations of the same family.

While the accident is still under investigation, preliminary data appears to show that the 62-year-old driver may have been trying to cross the tracks while the crossing arms were still down, perhaps not knowing that another train was on the way. A recent article in the Sacramento Bee highlights that many Sacramento drivers have found themselves in similar situations, and that "gate jumping" is one of our city's most dangerous driving behaviors.

According to the article, it is easy to see why this or any driver would have been tempted to cross the tracks in spite of the dangers. Officials from Sacramento Regional Transit said that the crossing arms at that particular intersection were down for a full 7 1/2 minutes. Two freight trains reportedly passed through, and the arms stayed down during a 37-second gap between the second train and the arrival of the light rail.

Officials said that a video recording shows the SUV pulling around the crossing arm and onto the tracks during those 37 seconds.

Sadly, car accidents involving trains are fairly common. Statistics from a federal database show that in Sacramento County, 46 train-vs.-car crashes occurred between 2000 and 2011. In all, these collisions resulted in 23 injuries and nine deaths.

Because of their size and weight, trains cannot stop easily or quickly. And in a collision between a train and an automobile, the consequences will always be much worse for the smaller vehicle.

The hassle of waiting for a train can be frustrating. But as last weekend's tragedy reminds us, it is not worth risking your life over a delay of just a few minutes.

Source: Sacramento Bee, "Impatient drivers dodge rail-crossing barriers, 'gate jumping' into tragedy," Tony Bizjak, Jan. 31, 2012