Human Error or System Failure?
2005.04.27 6:39

As many news coverage shows, worst derailment accident occurred in Westen Japan, which claimed more than 90 people's lives.
Many people start arguing the cause of the accidents, some people prefer to say it's a human error caused by an inmatured driver who used to have similar troubles such as overrun at the station and delay in time. As a matter of fact, he overrun 40 m ahead of the station then back which caused 1 minute 30 seconds delay. He exceeded the speed limit which is 70 km/h while he was supposedly increasing a speed more than 108 km/h in the curve.
He was supposed to be cut his salaries, and worse be fired by this 1.5 minutes delay, according to the sources.
These are the causes which shed light on only human factors, but of course there are another factors. - How about the system that's supposed to prevent such accidents?
For example, ATS(automatic train stopper) is equipped in every curve in order to avoid derailment in the case of highly reputable bullet train. Besides, derailment prevention apparatus was equipped in these curves. So in the case of bullet train, derailment in the curve is less likely to occur. When driver lost conscious or mistakenly gathers speed, ATS will be properly at work.
But in local commuter train like this time's accident, no ATS, no derailment prevention apparatus were equipped mainly in light of cost, cost performance cannot meet the profit expected to gain from this commuter train. Not only here but everywhere, where no ATS and no such preventative apparatus can be found, so it is not only a matter of the site of atrocity...
But some people still stick to attribute to personal cause. Basically 99% of population never realise it's a systematic failure which caused this tragedy but few. Many specialists point out a systematic failure at its formost cause. Ordinary citizens never intend to know the system failure, because for them it has nothing to do with them, those are something like beyond the reach of their human effort. But specialist know they can affect the safety measures those companies' supposed to pursue in the coming year, if not month.
Sounds like a triffle dispute in a small realm.
See in reference.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pa cific/4487001.stm