NationStates Jolt Archive

It's constantly said that level crossings are incredibly dangerous, but some people still fail to understand this and try to get across when the barriers are down. After all, what's the worst that could happen? A bit of a dent in the side of the car? A bump on the head?

This is an incredible video. If, after seeing this, you still try and jump the lights, then quite frankly you deserve all you get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrHwqGfkYs

Seen it before, and it remains a terrifying testament to the sheer idoicy of disregarding signals at level crossings.

There's nothing dangerous about a simple train crossing. Anyone who doesn't defer to a 400 ton vehicle coming at them is a moron and better off out of the gene pool.

here in idaho, people routinely stop on the tracks when there is a red light. confuses the fuck out of me. maybe its because i'm from a place where there were 20-odd crossings within a half mile of my house, with trains going by quite often. but really, if they only show up irregularly, isn't that all the more reason to stay off that shit?

I mish we had that danger here. See trains are virtually non-existant here.

Wtf is a level? :confused:

There's nothing dangerous about a simple train crossing. Anyone who doesn't defer to a 400 ton vehicle coming at them is a moron and better off out of the gene pool.

As some of you may know I work on the train network and the stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Some of the things I have witnessed;

- Two teenagers riding their BMXs along the tracks - the wrong way

- People seeing if they can jump onto the conductor rail, as if you are not earthed you won't get shocked

- Crossing from platform to platform over the line behind a stationary train

- Thinking it's "fun" to throw bricks at the windscreen of a train travelling at 90 mph

- Thinking it's "fun" to play chicken with a train travelling at 90 mph (yes this really happened)

I am not surprised by any deaths or injuries on the railways, I'm only surprised by the fact that there are not a hell of a lot more

As some of you may know I work on the train network
I think I may have seen you yesterday. :p

and the stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Some of the things I have witnessed;
-snip-
This year I've been on a train with a brick thrown at the window, and another where we sat for an hour outside Shortlands because someone had thrown a chair, of all things, onto the line in front of the train.

[QUOTE=Philosopy;12386435]I think I may have seen you yesterday. :p /QUOTE]

Which service?

Which service?

1804 out of Victoria.

1804 out of Victoria.

Aha. not me!! My internet anonymity remains intact!! Mwahahahahahaha!!

Aha. not me!! My internet anonymity remains intact!! Mwahahahahahaha!!

Bah. All I had to go on was my memory of Tactical Grace's photo of you from the UK meet up. I shall continue to keep my eye out. :p

It's constantly said that level crossings are incredibly dangerous, but some people still fail to understand this and try to get across when the barriers are down. After all, what's the worst that could happen? A bit of a dent in the side of the car? A bump on the head?

This is an incredible video. If, after seeing this, you still try and jump the lights, then quite frankly you deserve all you get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrHwqGfkYs

I'd buy that for a dollar.

Bah. All I had to go on was my memory of Tactical Grace's photo of you from the UK meet up. I shall continue to keep my eye out. :p

Well go to the next meet up in April then, I'll be there

I have a pic of a guy who thought that he could compete (on his motorcycle) against a garbage truck. Guess who won?

His helmet popped like a grape under the wheels of the truck, and most of his skin was yanked off like cloth - and his torso was ground up like hamburger.

I'd post the pic, but it's too gross.

Why the hell would you have a picture like that?:confused:

As some of you may know I work on the train network and the stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Some of the things I have witnessed;

- Two teenagers riding their BMXs along the tracks - the wrong way

- People seeing if they can jump onto the conductor rail, as if you are not earthed you won't get shocked

- Crossing from platform to platform over the line behind a stationary train

- Thinking it's "fun" to throw bricks at the windscreen of a train travelling at 90 mph

- Thinking it's "fun" to play chicken with a train travelling at 90 mph (yes this really happened)

I am not surprised by any deaths or injuries on the railways, I'm only surprised by the fact that there are not a hell of a lot more

I have a pic of a guy who thought that he could compete (on his motorcycle) against a garbage truck. Guess who won?

His helmet popped like a grape under the wheels of the truck, and most of his skin was yanked off like cloth - and his torso was ground up like hamburger.

I'd post the pic, but it's too gross.

Well go to the next meet up in April then, I'll be there
Alas, I really do like to maintain internet anonymity. Besides, how could I argue with you all if I knew you as real people, rather than just the computer generated robots I know you to really be? ;)

Why the hell would you have a picture like that?:confused:
It doesn't really surprise me.

here in idaho, people routinely stop on the tracks when there is a red light. confuses the fuck out of me. maybe its because i'm from a place where there were 20-odd crossings within a half mile of my house, with trains going by quite often. but really, if they only show up irregularly, isn't that all the more reason to stay off that shit?
It's pretty fucking stupid to stop on a crossing for anything that is bigger than a person.

level crossings can be scary if they are uncontrolled, there's an industrial park by my house that has 4 tracks right in a row. Then there's the uncontrolled ones, those ones freak me the most, in that same park there are a couple uncontrolled crossings on short suprs, noone ever stops because the trains come really rarely but one day, someone will get killed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrHwqGfkYs

lmao brilliant! i love it when clarkson yells "that's bad!" :p

pretty scary though, yeah. then again, its never.... ever, ever occurred to me to drive through a level crossing when the lights are going, yet alone fucking stopping there. what kind of suicidal moron does that? :confused: :eek:


i liked how the train hardly had a scratch afterwards though :P

pretty scary though, yeah. then again, its never.... ever, ever occurred to me to drive through a level crossing when the lights are going, yet alone fucking stopping there. what kind of suicidal moron does that? :confused: :eek:

There was one a couple of days ago, which got lost in the news a little due to all the talk about the crash in Cumbria. 100 mph train hits a Vauxhall Astra on the crossing: guess who the single fatality was?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6407025.stm

There was one a couple of days ago, which got lost in the news a little due to all the talk about the crash in Cumbria. 100 mph train hits a Vauxhall Astra on the crossing: guess who the single fatality was?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6407025.stm

hmmmm, i usually tend to be fairly compassionate in this sort of thing, but seriously... if you're dumb enough to be where a train is going to be zooming through any second, and ignore all the flashing lights and barriers and stuff... then you probably deserve it. stupid, stupid, stupid people.

Top Gear is the source of sooooo much wisdom.

I saw a man get run over by a train once, it wasn't pretty. His truck died on the tracks and he was trying to get it started, the train came and he didn't move. I am still not sure if his truck really died or if he just wanted to die......he did die though, before the ambulance got there, there really wasn't much I could do.:(

Top Gear is the source of sooooo much wisdom.
Indeed. Did you see when they got stoned in Alabama? :p

EDIT: Stoned as in had rocks thrown at them.

I saw a man get run over by a train once, it wasn't pretty. His truck died on the tracks and he was trying to get it started, the train came and he didn't move. I am still not sure if his truck really died or if he just wanted to die......he did die though, before the ambulance got there, there really wasn't much I could do.:(
:(

Another crash here a few years ago involved a man committing suicide on the crossing by parking his car in the way of an Intercity train. Sadly, however, there was a set of points immediately after the crossing, which the train hit after derailing, and it went over quite badly. About 7 or 8 people were killed.

A lot of the level crossings out in the country don't have barriers, or even lights, so I can understand how it happens there sometimes. When there are lights & barriers though, that's just sheer stupidty.

TRAIN WINS. FATALITY.

I can't find any compassion for things like that. Sorry. It's obviously really, really stupid, both because you are utterly doomed, and you might hurt people if your car derails the train. Just jump off a bridge or something.

On a similar topic, I was on a train a while ago that started going really slowly. Driver ("Train Manager" :rolleyes: ) announced that it was because they'd had reports of people on the tracks. Struck me that driving the train at normal speed would probably be the quickest way to remove them...

I mish we had that danger here. See trains are virtually non-existant here.

Wtf is a level? :confused:

You're not crossing the tracks by driving over a bridge (overpass) or under the grade through a tunnel (underpass). You're driving over the tracks.

BTW, whether barriers are up or down, lights flashing or not -- before I cross tracks I look both ways -- it's just common sense. Would suck to get pulverized because a power failure didn't warn you a train was coming.

Here I thought the problem is the crossings that don't have lights or barriers. Then you have trees, brush, etc., obstructing your view. In these cases it is not a surprise that accidents occur. When people are too lazy too cover all crossings with at least lights, what do you expect?

There are always going to be idiots who ignore the ones that do have these safety measures but there are still incidents of the former which really sucks.

My entire sympathy runs with the poor bastards who have ended up killing someone through no fault of their own. I now many drivers who have been hit in the windscreen by assorted body parts and have never worked again...................

Here I thought the problem is the crossings that don't have lights or barriers. Then you have trees, brush, etc., obstructing your view. In these cases it is not a surprise that accidents occur. When people are too lazy too cover all crossings with at least lights, what do you expect? There are always going to be idiots who ignore the ones that do have these safety measures but there are still incidents of the former.

on hwy 151 between fond du lac and madison, wi there are some only barely regulated tracks (just lights, iirc) that cross a 4 lane, 65 mph divided highway. i'm always impressed that there aren't more accidents than there have been.

My entire sympathy runs with the poor bastards who have ended up killing someone through no fault of their own. I now many drivers who have been hit in the windscreen by assorted body parts and have never worked again...................

Pfft, that's what you get for hiring drivers who value human life.

Seriously, yeah. I can see how that could upset people.

Probably just as well they have those big "train-wash" things to clean the bits off, too...

A lot of the level crossings out in the country don't have barriers, or even lights, so I can understand how it happens there sometimes. When there are lights & barriers though, that's just sheer stupidty.

The problem here has been with crossings of the 'half barrier' type, when the barrier only covers one side of the road, facing the traffic. The idea is that if the barriers come down when you're caught on the crossing for some reason you can still escape, but instead all they seem to do is encourage people to zig-zag round, trying to get round.

Then, you also get stupid people at ungated crossings, like this guy. You've got to love his reaction to being smashed up by a train:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug9IaNm75-E

His truck died on the tracks and he was trying to get it started, the train came and he didn't move.

What you're supposed to do if that happens and the car won't start is to put the car into first gear and use the starter engine - it usually has enough power to pull the car off the tracks if you keep turning the key. I don't know if that works with automatics, since I never drive them...

... or one could just get the hell out of the car and call the proper authorities so they can halt any train that might be on its way.

What you're supposed to do if that happens and the car won't start is to put the car into first gear and use the starter engine - it usually has enough power to pull the car off the tracks if you keep turning the key. I don't know if that works with automatics, since I never drive them...

... or one could just get the hell out of the car and call the proper authorities so they can halt any train that might be on its way.

even in an automatic you could get out and push the car off the tracks with the handbrake off, if you have time

even in an automatic you could get out and push the car off the tracks with the handbrake off, if you have time

Depends on the car. We don't all drive Nissan Micras...