As Decatur considers installing railroad “quiet zones” at the Candler and McDonough road crossings, Alvin points to this AJC article which reported yesterday that two teen boys were hit by a train in a “quiet zone” in Kennesaw.

It’s very important to note that police have not yet determined whether the quiet zone had anything to due with both boys being hit by a freight train, resulting in one death.  Both were reportedly sitting on the tracks when the accident took place, but it’s not clear whether they heard/saw the train.

A while back, I read a bit into the NY Times in-depth, 2004-05 investigation entitled “Death on the Tracks” – a great read in its own right – and while it was quite clear that investigations conducted by the railroad companies were often incomplete and suspicious, I could find no solid evidence either way about the safety of “quiet zones”.