"Because if there is a front-end collision or a rear-end collision, the damages will be greater at those locations. The middle of the train is by far the safest for persons."
The Railroad Journal gives the following as an answer:— " It is very well known that the car nearest the engine is exposed to the least dust, and that the rear car of a train is generally safer than the front car.
In the event of a derailment, the lower level will like do less lateral moving than the upper, and will be easer to escape from (exit doors are on the lower level).
The middle is safest. The first car can be severely compromised if the train is involved in a head end collision. If the cars are not constructed to the latest safety standards, the locomotive(s) could tunnel into the first passenger car with devastating results.
Safety experts recommend rear-facing seats because passengers will be pushed into their seats instead of thrown forward, resulting in less injuries.
This is due to inertia. Inertia is a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or of uniform motion unless acted upon by a net unbalanced external force.
When children ride forward-facing, their heads - which for toddlers are disproportionately large and heavy - are thrown forward, possibly resulting in spine and head injuries.
"The safest spot in a train, during an accident, is the center of the train," said Mann, who was the principal author of the Federal Railway Safety Act in 1970.
More than half of all railroad accidents occur at unprotected crossings. More than 80 percent of crossings lack adequate warning devices such as lights and gates.
Extremity fractures and lower extremity amputations were frequently encountered. The mortality rate was 17%. The mortality rate was high in victims who were hit by the train (p = 0.00013).
In sixty years of operation, Japan's high-speed rail lines have had zero fatal accidents, making them one of the safest forms of transportation in the world. The Maglev service intends to keep up that spotless record.
For the smoothest ride, get a seat equidistant between the trucks (wheels). This way a hard bump will be only half as bad. If you want to watch the train ahead going through curves, get a window seat near the rear of the coach.
Another reason the passenger seat behind the driver may be the safest is that the driver is likely to instinctively react to protect themselves in emergencies. Thus, the driver may unconsciously protect the driver's side more than the passenger's side, and with it, the passenger behind them more than passengers.
The 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck is the deadliest recorded train disaster in history, claiming the lives of at least 1,700 people. The incident was the result of a devastating tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which caused severe destruction to railway infrastructure.
While fatalities from train derailments are rare, derailments themselves are actually quite common. From 1990, the first year the BTS began tracking derailments and injuries on a yearly basis, to 2022, there have been 55,741 accidents in which a train derailed. That's an average of 1,689 derailments per year.
When a train hits someone or something on the tracks, Davids says, the first thing the crew does is record the time and call the train dispatcher to report an incident. Dispatch then alerts emergency responders while the train crew runs back to the point of collision to see if they can help.
Passenger vehicles are by far the most dangerous motorized transportation option compared. Over the last 10 years, passenger vehicle death rate per 100,000,000 passenger miles was over 20 times higher than for buses, 17 times higher than for passenger trains, and 595 times higher than for scheduled airlines.
The average freight train is about 1 to 1¼ miles in length (90 to 120 rail cars). When it's moving at 55 miles an hour, it can take a mile or more to stop after the locomotive engineer fully applies the emergency brake. An 8-car passenger train moving at 80 miles an hour needs about a mile to stop.
Safety experts also recommend choosing a rear-facing seat, because a person sitting there is less likely to be thrown forward during a collision. Trains are more likely to hit something side-on than head-on or from behind, according to the FRA.
Sit facing backwards: If the train stops short or crashes, you'll be pushed back into your seat, instead of thrown forward. The best way out might be the window: After any potential crash, you should get out of the train as soon as possible.
Stalled on the tracks!?
Remember one very important thing when running away from the vehicle-----run away from the tracks at an angle in the direction of the approaching train. When the train strikes the vehicle it will send flying metal and glass ahead of and outward from the locomotive.
Every state has child passenger safety laws, and many of those require kids under the age of two to be in rear facing car seats. But, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and we at Safe in the Seat recommend staying rear-facing for as long as possible.
“Rear facing restraints are highly effective in preventing injuries if used correctly because they fully support the child's head and neck in the event of a crash,” the report says.
Car seat research has shown that children up to 23 months old are about 75 percent less likely to die or sustain serious injury in a rear-facing car seat than a forward-facing one. That's because a rear-facing seat spreads the crash force more evenly across the back of the car seat and the child's body.