Darwin Thwarted Again in Santa Ana

When the crossing gates drop at a rail crossing, prudent people stop and wait for the train. Potential Darwin Award winners don't:

SANTA ANA – Seventy people caught trying to slip past railroad-crossing gates before the arms came down Thursday will have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines as local officers stepped up enforcement.

Another 110 people during the four-hour operation, dubbed "Operation Lifesaver," escaped with a warning.

With commuter trains roaring within feet of crosswalks and limit lines, police officers and deputies set up along the tracks across the county to keep people off the tracks – and educate them on the danger of taking a chance on ignoring the flashing lights at crossing gates.

Working with Union Pacific and the Orange County Transportation Authority, deputies from the Los Angeles and Orange County sheriff's departments, and police officers from Orange, Tustin and Santa Ana spent four hours Thursday staking out crossings.

They watched as impatient drivers floored their accelerators, barely squeaking under crossing arms before train horns sounded and pedestrians strolled next to railroad tracks.

I'm not sure the cops are doing us any favors by saving these people. They'll only live today to be stupid again tomorrow.