METRO Light Rail Safety and Road Rage: Tuesday’s Show (Aug. 4, 2015)

In June, METRO investigated 17 accidents involving its light rail lines. The accidents involved cars, pedestrians and a bike. Two pedestrians were killed. Those 17 incidents were the most crashes in any month since the agency began rail service in 2004.

And while a one-month spike is probably a classic definition of a small sample size, some METRO critics cite it as evidence of the dangers METRO’s at-grade trains can pose.

On this edition of Houston Matters, we talk with METRO’s director of safety about how the agency is addressing the spike in accidents.

Then: We’ve all probably experienced it – whether as the giver or the receiver – road rage on Houston streets and highways. Why do we get so angry when behind the wheel? And how do you protect yourself when you’re the victim of road rage? We talk with police and a psychologist.

And: an A to Z guide of all things Houston – The Houstorian Dictionary —  as our summer reading series continues.

(Above: A light rail train hit and killed a pedestrian in near NRG Park in June. Image Courtesy: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle)