EVEN self-assured drivers can feel pangs of anxiety after driving miles through the dusky phosphorescence of an Alpine tunnel.

November 11 - Kaprun disaster, Austria: A cable car fire in an Alpine tunnel kills 155 skiers and snowboarders.

The accident is certain to fuel discussion of the safety of Alpine tunnels in general.

Alpine tunnels have suffered three catastrophic fires in less three years, and all of them were caused by trucks.

In another incident, more than 150 people were killed last year when a cable car taking skiers through an Alpine tunnel in Austria caught fire.

The Alpine tunnels have been a bottleneck for transportation for years.

That leaves only two major Alpine tunnels open for business.

All Alpine tunnels have their particular risks.

Two trains collided head-on in an Alpine tunnel near the Italian border in southeast France early today, killing two people and injuring four seriously.

The deaths were particularly unsettling since they are only the latest resulting from a string of fires in Alpine tunnels over recent years.