MEDIA

Why Trains Crash

(NOVA). 55 min. PBS. 2017. $24.99. ISBN 9781627899369.
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Gr 9 Up—This episode examines several recent deadly train crashes and identifies causes and potential solutions. Interviews with experts, survivors, and conductors, as well as harrowing accident footage, accompany computer-animation reconstructions to complete the accounts. The program dedicates substantial time to explaining a government-mandated safety overhaul of the rail industry, which has been delayed for nearly a decade. It redirects attention to the efficient high-speed rail system in Japan, demonstrating the advanced technology and precise training required to operate its bullet trains. Picture and sound quality are up to the series's usual high standards.
VERDICT Young problem solvers will enjoy the challenge of addressing the problems posed by public transportation. Blood, mangled limbs, and a (censored) "F-bomb" from a witness may make this appropriate for more mature students.

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