Safety of railway crossings questioned after second vehicle hit by train in a week

[transam]

1 minute ago, Sydebolle said:

The problem is not the State Railways of Thailand but the stupidity of those ignorant clowns behind the steering wheel. Darwin's theory proves correct; they eradicate themselves over time.

31 million drivers of which 11 millions do not hold a driving license. The other 20 millions have hardly undergone proper driving lessons including how to change a spare wheel, basic preventive maintenance of wiper washer, battery acid level or air pressure in tires. Reversing, using mirrors or indicators are also literally almost unknown to Khon Thai. 

Go and study Central European standards of what it takes to issue a driving license and then such accidents will automatically stop. I've seen countless times Thais sneaking an S-curve around lowered barriers - how much more do you expect at a train crossing? 

Serves all those drivers getting killed right; each and everyone is good riddance and no longer a threat to other drivers ???? 

Weeeeeell, in this case many were killed by one man's actions, so your good riddance thing is a bit out of place...????

[fredwiggy]

On 10/17/2020 at 7:01 AM, Gerefan said:

The answer lies in the video of the bus accident. The bus driver had the train on his left. The driver sits on the right. Also the bus was full so there may have been people etc obstructing the drivers (poor) field of view to his left.
 

I haven’t seen a video of the second accident but I bet it was a similar scenario. Driver on the right, train on the left.

 

We have the same Thing in aviation. The pilot sits on the left. Guess which side always collides with instructions when taxying...yep it’s the right wing.

 

But then... TiT! 

A bus driver in the United States will lose their license if they don't come to a full stop before the tracks and look both ways before proceeding. The disregard for life here is outrageous. It shows in the traffic, the daily activities and the  way the children are raised. "If it's my turn to die, I can't do anything about it". Which translates into doing whatever they want, irregardless of other people, their kids and rules.

[renz]

the issues here is not whether people can see the train light or crossing in the dark - the real issues is people generally don't follow traffic regulation, they just do what they like without thinking this might put them in danger. see it everyday on the road here. even the vietnamese are more llikely to obey traffic rule considering the amount of bikes on the road.

[Sydebolle]

18 hours ago, transam said:

Weeeeeell, in this case many were killed by one man's actions, so your good riddance thing is a bit out of place...????

I stand corrected, regretfully the other victims were "collateral damage". We shall never know what was spoken, complained about or reprimanded inside the vehicle ????. 

I once took a minivan from Nong Khai to Udon Airport and the driver thought he was in Le Mans. I was the only one who intervened and told the driver to cool it otherwise I'd call the police to get him stopped further down the highway. It did the trick, but the most scary bit was that all fellow passengers just sat there like sheep on the way to the slaughterhouse.

There is no need for speed, they are not paid per trip (the more the better), it is pure ignorance combined with a lack of driving skills (which, arguably, need to be learnt); the rest is character and common sense. 

[tomgreen]

Yes its Thailand ????

 

Any thoughts ?

 

 

Tom 

[essox essox]

On 10/16/2020 at 2:53 PM, Golden Triangle said:

I don't think it's so much the safety of the crossings per se, this happened during the hours of darkness, did the car driver not see the lights on the train ?

 

Admittedly the crossings here leave a lot to be desired, but if she couldn't see the headlights on the train she shouldn't have been driving.

how do you know the train had headlights on.....were they on dipped or full beam IF THEY WERE EVER ON ?????!!!

[rickudon]

Unfortunately many Thai drivers just do not comprehend road safety. When i go to the fruit market after dropping daughter at school (we have a shop so a daily visit) I have to do a U-turn on a dual carriageway and then turn left 20 metres later. To do that i have to cross 3 lanes of busy traffic  at a near right angle to get to the entrance. That is scary enough, but there ALWAYS are motorbikes driving the wrong way past this entrance - so you have to avoid 3 lanes of traffic from one direction and one lane of traffic going the wrong way at the same time! I'm not counting the appalling lane discipline of the other people turning at this turn, that hardly counts!

[Mike k]

5 minutes ago, rickudon said:

Unfortunately many Thai drivers just do not comprehend road safety. When i go to the fruit market after dropping daughter at school (we have a shop so a daily visit) I have to do a U-turn on a dual carriageway and then turn left 20 metres later. To do that i have to cross 3 lanes of busy traffic  at a near right angle to get to the entrance. That is scary enough, but there ALWAYS are motorbikes driving the wrong way past this entrance - so you have to avoid 3 lanes of traffic from one direction and one lane of traffic going the wrong way at the same time! I'm not counting the appalling lane discipline of the other people turning at this turn, that hardly counts!

I've always thought it would be nice to be able to put a piece of steel on the front of a truck and earn points for how many motorcycles going the wrong way you can take out 

[impulse]

On 10/18/2020 at 2:31 AM, Sydebolle said:

Go and study Central European standards of what it takes to issue a driving license and then such accidents will automatically stop. I've seen countless times Thais sneaking an S-curve around lowered barriers - how much more do you expect at a train crossing? 

 

If that's true, how do you explain the hundreds of central European drivers I've seen in Thailand, going native and driving just as bad as the locals?

 

Training and licensing requirements are only one part of the equation.  The other part is acknowledging human nature, in which people act in a manner that optimizes the benefit to themselves.  That means making sure the consequences of driving unsafely outweigh the benefits of getting somewhere just a little faster.  That requires enforcement and a good chance of getting fined each time you do something stupid, along with the prospect of losing a license. 

 

I was a traffic menace after I first got my license, in spite of a great driver's ed program and strict licensing tests.  I got better because I practiced driving to avoid getting a $$$ ticket, points on my license, and jacked up insurance rates.  Which, not so coincidentally, is great practice for avoiding collisions.

 

Instead, Thailand's lack of traffic enforcement too often means the first consequence that unsafe drivers bump up against kills them- and others.  And central Euro drivers aren't immune.

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by impulse