Deadly Year for European Rail Still Safer Than the American Average

Does the recent train derailment in Spain, which killed 79 people, justify America's onerous approach to regulating rail safety?

Federal Railroad Administration safety rules are designed to maximize "crashworthiness," making U.S. passenger trains heavier and more expensive than their counterparts in Europe, where the safety approach is based on crash avoidance.

So what do we have to show for it? Not only is our passenger rail system less competitive, it's also less safe, according to these calculations from Network blog Systemic Failure:

Also, just a reminder: Amtrak is still much safer than car travel. In the U.S. there are about 1.1 traffic deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled [PDF] -- making driving more than 20 times more deadly than rail.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Political Environment explains that Wisconsin DOT plans to destroy 11 acres of county land, which is currently forestland and butterfly sanctuaries, to crush gravel for its controversial $1.7 billion Zoo Interchange project. Carfree USA reports that Rome has moved to ban cars on some roads near the Coliseum. And Streets.mn says something's off with Minneapolis's newest transit plans.