WHY DIDN'T MTA GET TOUGHER ON DRUG USE BEFORE CRASHES?

AS THIS IS written, we don't know what caused Tuesday's light-rail crash at
Baltimore-Washington International Airport. But the information coming out
about the state Mass Transit Administration and its employees isn't
comforting to people who rely on MTA's transit system every day.

It's striking that this accident and a nearly identical one at BWI six
months ago both involved drivers who were on prescription medication and who
had tested positive for cocaine at some point in their careers with the
state agency.

The driver in February's crash was fired after admitting he was on
prescription pain medication and hadn't told his supervisor. Then he tested
positive for cocaine.

The driver in Tuesday's accident had told his supervisor he was taking
prescription muscle relaxant for a back problem. He had gotten permission to
work. And, as of this writing, he has tested negative for drug and alcohol
use at the time of the crash.

But he had been fired six years ago for cocaine use. He was reinstated after
his union intervened, and he completed a drug rehabilitation program in
1997.

Is it some sort of statistical fluke that there just happen to be two MTA
train operators involved with cocaine at some point in their careers?
Hardly. An MTA spokesman said that four of its 1,100-plus light-rail, subway
and bus drivers are still on the job after TWICE testing positive for drugs.

Indeed, 40 drivers have tested positive in random drug tests from 1997 to
1999, and 10 tested positive in tests given after accidents.

We're not sure whether this is something peculiar to the MTA, or if it just
means drug use is common in the American work force and the MTA's drivers
are merely more frequently tested than most. Either way, it's disturbing.
The safety of MTA passengers should never be entrusted to drivers who've
been caught using illegal drugs, let alone drivers who've been caught twice.

Knowing how the numbers will look -- and even though there's currently no
evidence the latest BWI crash was linked to illegal drug use -- MTA
Administrator Ronald Freeland has come out with a set of proposals for
increased testing and penalties.

Among other things, he wants to immediately fire any employee in an
"extreme-safety sensitive" position who tests positive for drug use, and any
employee who tests positive a second time while in a rehabilitation program.
He also wants to institute mandatory drug tests every two years, and
increase random testing for employees who have already tested positive.

These are good ideas, but Mr. Freeland can't do anything without negotiating
with the employees' union. And why did it take the two accidents at BWI for
him to make these proposals?

We shouldn't need crumpled light-rail trains and injured commuters to bring
attention to this issue. If Mr. Freeland can't -- or isn't allowed to --
take reasonable precautions to make sure MTA's vehicles are being driven by
drug-free operators, higher state officials need to get involved.