Four Children Killed Level Crossing Netherlands

[Bletchleyite]

It's looking unlikely for the Stint to ever return to the streets, as the manufacturer has filed for bankruptcy and the vehicle's reputation has gone down the drain due to the way the accident was handled by the Dutch authorities. The ban on its use and the reputational damage suffered by the incomplete, but quickly released, investigation reports, have pretty much sealed the deal.

That's all rather a shame, as I quite like the idea, being basically an extension of the traditional Bakfiets.

 

[HowardGWR]

That's all rather a shame, as I quite like the idea, being basically an extension of the traditional Bakfiets.

I do not see AlexNL's point at all. Once the gremlins are discovered, the solutions designed and the needed approval given, even if the current manufacturer is bust, another will surely take it up? I have direct experience of this system and it was without doubt a huge benefit, now temporarily lost, to the education 'kinderopvang' (creche facility).

 

[AlexNL]

Stintum have retracted their filing for bankruptcy, and are working on getting the Stint vehicles roadworthy again. The outcome of the TNO technical investigation are expected mid-December, and meanwhile Stintum have had their vehicles inspected by the German TÜV. They have also come up with a new training plan for Stint drivers.

Stintum have a hope of getting their vehicles back onto the roads early next year, but this depends on the decisions made by politicians and civil servants after an upcoming debate shortly before Christmas.

 

[eastdyke]

Stintum have retracted their filing for bankruptcy, and are working on getting the Stint vehicles roadworthy again. The outcome of the TNO technical investigation are expected mid-December, and meanwhile Stintum have had their vehicles inspected by the German TÜV. They have also come up with a new training plan for Stint drivers.

Stintum have a hope of getting their vehicles back onto the roads early next year, but this depends on the decisions made by politicians and civil servants after an upcoming debate shortly before Christmas.

Thank you for the update.
Part (google) translation:

The company behind the stint is working behind the scenes on technical adjustments to the electric wagon and hopes to be able to get back on track early next year. Part of the plan includes a new driver training course.
The buyer of the vehicle must also have a 'Stint certificate' from the insurer with whom the vehicle is insured. This is evident from a letter that stint-manufacturer Edwin Renzen sent today to involved organizations in childcare. RTL Nieuws has the letter.

Edwin Renzen does seem optimistic, not least his timescales. Clearly his vehicle concept has a lot of support within the childcare sector.
I hope that the reports will be conclusive in respect of what caused the original failure, so that the issues can be both addressed and modifications properly tested and approved.
I hope too that the 'Stint certificate' (insurance) will not prove to be too expensive.

 

[AlexNL]

Today the Openbaar Ministerie (public prosecutor) gave an update about the accident investigation. They write that the investigation is in full swing and that they will require several more months to complete it.

The Stint HQ has been raided to gather evidence relating to the accident and the Stint vehicles themselves, the OM needs this to determine whether or not to file charges.

Update research Stint
December 12, 2018

Almost three months after the tragic accident with the Stint in Oss, the investigation into the circumstances is still in full swing. In the accident, four children (4, 4, 6 and 8 years old) from Oss died on Thursday 20 September. A fifth child (11 years old) from Oss and the supervisor (32 years old) from Heesch were seriously injured.

Exactly how the accident could happen is extensively investigated by the Public Prosecution Service (OM) and the police. In addition, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) and the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) also carry out an independent investigation.

Explanations
In the criminal investigation of the Public Prosecution Service and the police, the investigation department has meanwhile spoken with a large number of witnesses. The driver of the Stint vehicle has also spoken. All these explanations and the analysis of various camera images from the immediate surroundings and the dashcam images of the train, should give the investigators a picture of exactly what happened that morning.

Technical research
The technical research of the Stint forms an important part of the research. The Stint is extensively investigated by experts from the NFI. We also look at the maintenance history of the vehicle and previous experiences with the Stint.

Administration
At several locations, research is currently being conducted by the criminal investigation department, including at a business location in Bilthoven, where administration has been seized. "The research is necessary to obtain as much information as possible regarding the Stint involved in the accident and the Stint product as such. We must carefully assess whether a criminal charge can be made in the drama of 20 September. We are aware of the emotions that come with it," says press officer Janine Kramer.

At the moment no conclusions can be drawn about the circumstances of the accident and any prosecution decisions. This is only possible if the police and OM have all the research results. Therefore, no announcements are made at this time about the content of the investigation results so far.

The investigation is probably still busy with the investigation for months.

 

[Ginaro]

We have just had a pedestrian here killed by an electric bike- it's a matter of time before some new legislation will be needed here as the archaic victorian rules on assisted vehicles just don't cover some of the very high powered electric bikes which are being imported from China and the US.

Do you mean the one where the woman basically ran out in front of someone on an e-bike? https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7136632/cctv-video-dalston-hit-run-bike-crash/

The CCTV shows the woman, named locally as Cihan Sakine, 56, running into the road when the lights were green. She remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The cyclist involved in the crash on Kingsland High Street in Dalston, east London, initially stopped after he was thrown from his electric bike but fled moments later.

 

[eastdyke]

Today the Openbaar Ministerie (public prosecutor) gave an update about the accident investigation. They expect that the investigation is in full swing and that they will require several more months to complete it.

The Stint HQ has been raided to gather evidence relating to the accident and the Stint vehicles themselves, the OM needs this to determine whether or not to file charges.

Thank you for the further update.
Many more months I suspect

 

[AlexNL]

The technical investigation by TNO is finished, the minister will announce the results tomorrow.

https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel/4517291/onderzoek-van-tno-naar-stint-afgerond

 

[Groningen]

Result is that the Stint is not fit to be on the road. Problem with the breaks and electronics where it would (sometimes) increase in speed.

 

[HowardGWR]

Result is that the Stint is not fit to be on the road. Problem with the breaks and electronics where it would (sometimes) increase in speed.

Yes, most importantly, for us on this board, it had nothing to do with railway OLE interference. The result must be that all electric bikes and mopeds need to go through similar to that which cars go through. (I am assuming that this has always applied to ICE-driven mopeds but I don't know that).

 

[eastdyke]

Yes, most importantly, for us on this board, it had nothing to do with railway OLE interference.

We do know that OHLE electromagnetic interference is not apparently being cited as the direct cause. But at this stage we do not know what the problems concerning brakes and electronics are. It is possible that the problems arise from insufficient immunisation (of the control circuitry) from external factors.
Perhaps we will learn more from the technical report later today.

We do know that both the offices and the home of the Stint mangement were raided yesterday to secure evidence for consideration of prosecution. Coincidence?

Unlike electric bikes and mobility scooters, these Carts are not personal transport. They are effectively (albeit relatively low power/speed) people carriers where one individual has total responsibilty for the safety of others.

 

[AlexNL]

TNO, an independent Dutch research organisation, have published their findings. The entire report can be found on their website (in Dutch).

TNO have formulated a number of criteria which should be met by the Stint to be considered safe:

1. The vehicle must be able to be brought to a safe stop at all times while driving.
2. It must be prevented at all times that the vehicle accelerates unexpectedly so that the driver loses control over the vehicle.
3. It must at all times be possible to push the vehicle manually to a safe place without additional actions.
4. The vehicle must be capable of being steered at all times.
5. During driving, it must be prevented at all times that the vehicle brakes unexpectedly so hard that the driver loses control of the vehicle.
6. If the driver is not present, the vehicle must be in the parking position.

These are not met by the Stint.

TNO have identified 38 issues and 41 improvement points, which should be implemented to get the vehicles to meet all of their criteria. The majority of the improvement points should be able to be implemented on the existing fleet by reconfiguring software or by putting in some additional wiring. A couple of suggestions would require significant changes to the Stint's design.

 

[eastdyke]

TNO, an independent Dutch research organisation, have published their findings. The entire report can be found on their website (in Dutch).

Thank you for the link.
The report is based on an analysis of the Stint itself, much (if not all) of which was omitted from apparently any study prior to the Stint being admitted into service.
There is nothing contained within the report that relates to events that contributed to the tragic accident on 20th September, there may be more questions arising from the report of the accident investigators in due course.
I am not at all sure that it will be both possible and economic to bring any existing Stint up to the standards outlined in the report which, quite frankly, seem at this stage to be quite general in many respects.
Google translation of the pre-amble to current study:

The purpose of the safety analysis performed by TNO is to answer the following research questions:
1. How does TNO assess the safety level of the vehicle for the intended use (passenger transport)?
2. What possibilities does TNO believe to still bring an insufficient level of safety to an acceptable level?
3. What is the possible influence of electromagnetic radiation on the functioning of the vehicle?
4. What modifications have newer vehicles H304 and H731 undergo compared to the inspection vehicle and what is the influence of these modifications on safety?
TNO's research is based on the following starting points:
(i) Legal framework
De Stint is admitted on the Dutch road as a 'special moped' on the basis of art. 20b, Road Traffic Act 1994 on April 4, 2012.
(ii) Technical framework
The functional safety analysis is based on the 'ISO26262 Functional safety for road vehicles' standard [3]. This ISO standard defines the requirements for functional safety in the automotive sector.
(iii) EMC testing
The immunity of the new Stint model for electromagnetic radiation has been tested in accordance with Annex 6 of UN / ECE Regulation No. 10 - Rev.5 [10]. Furthermore, tests have been carried out with higher field strengths than prescribed and with more orientations of the vehicle with respect to the antenna.

 

[AlexNL]

The report is based on an analysis of the Stint itself, much (if not all) of which was omitted from apparently any study prior to the Stint being admitted into service.

That seems to be correct. When the Stint vehicle was first presented to the government, it obviously wasn't a bike but it wasn't a car or a van either. Nobody could quite figure out which regulations should apply, just like had been the case with Segway vehicles not long before.

They felt like they shouldn't get in the way of innovation, so the minister decided to classify the Stint as a "special moped" to which only limited regulations applied.

There is nothing contained within the report that relates to events that contributed to the tragic accident on 20th September, there may be more questions arising from the report of the accident investigators in due course.

That's correct.

TNO have only focused on the Stint vehicle itself, the investigation into the accident at Oss is being performed by the police and the NFI (Dutch Forensics Institute). The Stint vehicle involved in that accident is still with the NFI for research and testing.

I am not at all sure that it will be both possible and economic to bring any existing Stint up to the standards outlined in the report which, quite frankly, seem at this stage to be quite general in many respects.

The second document on TNO's website contains the issues which TNO have recognised ("Probleempunten") and their proposed improvements ("Verbetervoorstellen"). Some of them are fairly simple and easily implemented. For example: TNO suggest to place a rear-view mirror on the steering column, fitting the units with saddles to prevent the driver falling off, and adding some reflectors and brake indicator lights.

TNO have only looked at the Stint model for BSO (buitenschoolse opvang, daycare for kids). They haven't looked into other Stint types, such as the ones used by PostNL (mail transport), various city councils (light maintenance) and the custom models.

In my view, those Stints could be cleared again for use on the road as they are used by just 1 person (the driver/handler) and are not used to carry kids. Should a 'runaway' incident happen again, those drivers can simply hop off their vehicle and get themselves to safety without having to evacuate up to 10 children.

Re-allowing those Stint vehicles would give the Stintum company some income again, so they can focus on getting their vehicles adjusted and re-certified for their BSO use.