After CSX took an important step last month of installing inside-facing video cameras into the cabins of some of its trains, it appears that other train operators are following suit. Late last month the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority revealed that it would be installing thousands of audio and video recorders in its trains.
The MTA says that its move follows safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB announced that the surveillance was necessary due to a series of derailments that took place last year. The MTA says that intends to implement the majority of the recommendations put forward by the NTSB.
So far, those in the know say that rather than watching over passengers, the audio and video recording devices will instead target train conductors and other employees of the New York MTA. The surveillance system will be used to monitor staff behavior and ensure that conductors follow safety guidelines.
The MTA says it hopes that the surveillance works in several ways to encourage safety. First, by dissuading conductors and other staff members from breaking rules when they know they are being watched. Second, if a mistake is made the surveillance will then be useful to NTSB investigators and others who try and reconstruct what may have gone wrong to cause the accident.
The MTA joins a list of other transportation agencies placing cameras and audio recorders to monitor the actions of their employees. Baltimore recently began installing devices to record the conversations of its bus drivers while San Francisco put live cameras on more than 350 of its buses.
Though the MTA says its actions are simply designed to increase rider safety and comply with NTSB guidelines, others have noted how little attention the MTA has paid to the condition of its deteriorating tracks and other rail technology. While conductors must endure increasing scrutiny of every aspect of their jobs, the train operators have invested woefully little time and money upgrading existing tracks and other safety systems that could go a long way to improving safety for everyone.
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Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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