Why are there so many train derailments lately?

It is strange isn't it?

Each time(several) I try to talk my wife into a 250 mile train ride for dinner and a hotel and museum and back.. the train either falls off the track,, gets hit by another train or the crew actually stops the train in the middle of the field somewhere because it is shift-change time and they are not going to work for nothing..so they stop the train and they would not let people off who knew where they were and had people that could come to pick them up.. If that would have been me ,, I would have gotten off the train one way or the other.. I just can't find a space of time where the trains will stay out of trouble.:-)

Actually... according to the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Bureau) - there has been a decrease in derailments over the last 20 years.

What is REALLY occurring is that the media is much more connected and will put ANY story regarding an accident on the television as "Breaking News"... and of course the internet increases the odds that the average person will hear about it no matter where they are in the world.

More and more, fully automated features are replacing the need for highly trained and experienced people to be at the controls. We are getting dumber and lazier as a society and as a result, we're screwing up things we've been doing for hundreds of years. Used to be an engineer of a train was a highly respected and trusted individual who spent years learning the trade. Now, make the right people happy in the right unions and you got the job. We're seeing things like this more and more. Pilots, Sea Captains, even doctors are reliant on technology and when things go wrong, the old days of hands on experience is lost.

Drugs, texting, not enough sleep. Could be several factors.