It's relatively easy to calculate these forces and the ways to counteract them, so it's relatively easy to set a safe maximum speed for a certain kind of track. Yes, badly maintained tracks, trains, or signals can sometimes contribute to a derailment.

High-speed trains are among the safest forms of transportation in the world, but like any mechanical system, they are not entirely immune to derailment. Historically, major high-speed rail accidents, such as the Eschede disaster in Germany (1998) or the Santiago de Compostela accident in Spain (2013), have shown that derailments usually result from catastrophic component failure or significant human error, such as excessive speed on a curve. In 2026, modern high-speed networks like the Shinkansen in Japan or the TGV in France employ sophisticated "automatic train control" (ATC) systems and specialized track monitoring sensors to prevent such occurrences. These systems can automatically trigger emergency braking if they detect track obstacles, seismic activity, or mechanical irregularities. Derailments are extremely rare and often involve "externalities" like landslides or collisions with heavy equipment rather than a failure of the high-speed technology itself, making the statistical risk per passenger mile significantly lower than that of automotive or traditional rail travel.