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Compared with collision-avoidance safeguards in the air, those on the ground are primitive. Only 12 U.S. airports have ground radar (Detroit does not), but it is unreliable, 1960s-vintage equipment. A more modern radar is being tested in Pittsburgh, but technical bugs have delayed its deployment at other airports. A network of stop-and-go signal lights at taxiway and runway intersections has been tried at New York City's Kennedy Airport, but it was discontinued when its slowness contributed to delays. London's often foggy Heathrow, by contrast, has both the new radar and the signals.
Pilots have long complained about confusing ground markings at Detroit Metro. Contends Jerome Lederer, a veteran aviation-safety expert: "It may be time to consider a new category in fatal crashes, called 'government-induced accidents,' where failures by federal or local authorities contribute to the probable cause. Think of the reaction in Congress if a Senator or Representative had been killed."