Amtrak crash raises again question of seat belts on trains

New York

IT IS a natural question, one that many people have raised before, and have raised again since Tuesday's fatal Amtrak crash in Philadelphia: Should trains have seat belts?

Transportation experts have asked that question, too, in studies that cite a mix of physics, engineering, human behaviour, and economics - and a healthy dose of uncertainty about their conclusions. Ray LaHood, a former transportation secretary, said this week that the federal government should consider it again.

But the research done so far has generally found that seat belts would do minimal good, that the harm they…