People absolutely suck at risk analysis. They get in their cars and drive without a second thought despite it being one of the most dangerous things people do.I always find it hard to understand how people can claim that overcrowding is dangerous. People pack themselves onto busy trains.
However, reference:
http://www.surgsci.umu.se/digitalAssets/119/119614_rebecca-forsberg.pdf
So the science confirms it is more dangerous to stand than sit. Also to be in the first carriage. People get to make that judgement when the get on the train, but lets be honest here again - people suck at risk analysis. For any individual trip the risk is low. But XC runs their trains hundreds of thousands of miles a year (millions?) - the chances of something happening to a passenger therefore is a lot higher from their perspective and they have a moral duty to ensure their passengers safety.Standing or walking at the time of the
crash has also been shown to cause worse
injuries (Wakeland, 1978; Cooksey, 1992;
Cugnoni et al., 1994). This was observed
in the present study as well, where four out
of five standing people received moderate
or worse injuries (MAIS 2+). It is therefore
Figure 5. Type of seats in the carriages.
Photo: The Swedish Transport Administration
vital to remain seated, especially at high
speed. This would require trains to be
equipped
with
adequate
seating
to
accommodate all passengers.