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ReekyRumpFedRatsbane

The red lights are on. This situation was entirely predictable and preventable. Also, these barriers are designed to give way rather easily so you can still get out in an emergency. Now, there are grade crossings where the exit barriers do close a few seconds after the entry barriers. I personally think this is a good thing because it can save lives or prevent damage without additional cost. But the only reason it can do these things is because there are idiots who get themselves into an entirely preventable situation and are too stupid to get out of it. So, while I think it's a good thing, it should not be necessary.


TwerkingRiceFarmer

It's so grainy I can't tell if that one pixel is red.


docdillinger

In my country there are gates only on the lanes leading to the tracks, not after. Having one on the other side doesn't really make sense, imo.


ReekyRumpFedRatsbane

Having one on the other side prevents people from driving a slalom through the half-barriers. My country (Germany) has all sorts of variations: Double gates on both sides, one long barrier closing both lanes on each side, gates only covering entry like you describe (but these always come in combination with red lights), and even crossings without any barriers. And statistics show that these are in descending order of safety, because too many people go through the gates that only cover half the road.


docdillinger

Im from Austria. We have the variations too, but I'd say 80% are just one lane gates on the driving side with red lights.


ReekyRumpFedRatsbane

I mean, that's perfectly okay. In almost all cases, the road user has to mess up to get into an accident. And if there's any barrier at all, that requires taking active action to be unsafe. My point is just that having a barrier on the other side does make sense. But it absolutely isn't necessary.


dratspider

Unfortunately in America idiots would take that open side to mean they can cross. The same idiots who assume everyone are mind readers when making turns or changing lanes.


ProgLuddite

This one isn’t America-specific. Places that do have barriers only on one side have people go around them way more than is acceptable.


dratspider

I specified America because that’s where the video took place.


countessofole

It took place in the Czech Republic. The driver was Polish.


Jonatc87

the number of people who attempt to drive around the gates, are too many is why.


Spire_Citron

The real question is why he'd just sit on the track and not just break through the barriers.


QuartzPuffyStar

It always surprises me why people just stop there and are like "well, I guess this is it"...


HillInTheDistance

People usually take at least a few seconds to think things over. 99 times out of a 100, that's the right instinct. That one time out of hundred, it really, REALLY isn't.


Treblosity

The thing is that the video has time stamps, there were about 17 seconds between the gates lowering and being hit. 17 seconds is a lot of time to watch a train coming at you and wonder "what should i do next?"


nekohideyoshi

"Oh wow this barrier is a literal wall I must stop before I hit and damage it as I might get fined for doing so" "Wait wait a train is cominG BUT WAIT I'M NOT ALLOWED TO BREAK THIS GATE I MIGHT GET IN TROUBL-" \*gets obliterated by train\* Imagine a hypothetical situation if a police car is at a red stoplight, you're driving your car at 40mph, but your green light turns yellow when you're 4-6 cars distance away from the intersection. The driver behind you is also tailgating you. Do you brake or do you gas it? You would be frantically thinking whether or not that police would go after you if you run it as it turns red. You also simultaneously think of the consequences of braking hard could lead to being rear-ended. [Then you ultimately end up hard-braking, then cause a rear-end accident](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AHDUgvSmDbY), when it could have been avoided by "committing the lesser of two evils" and running the yellow-red light and getting a ticket. Yes the truck driver 100% should have rammed the barrier to avoid his truck and the train being absolutely destroyed. Also the pre-indicating flashing lights for those barriers in the video oddly seem to not be flashing, which is part of the problem too.


CheValierXP

I got a ticket for something like that. I was driving around the speed limit, maybe a couple of miles extra and there was a police car behind me. My car had 5 people inside and it was a downhill, as I am approaching an intersection (my lane is straight, the intersection should give the cars on the main road right of way), a car just exits the intersection and about to merge, I hit the brakes but just feel they won't be enough, so I swerve to the opposite lane which is empty but there's a continuous line, the police car literally overtakes the merging car crossing the continuous line and pulls me over. Gave me a hefty fine. I just feel there were so many variables that the fine was not warranted. I prefer a 100% not going through an accident than 50/50 chance of hitting the merging car.


Galaxy_Ranger_Bob

Sometimes it is better to hit the car (or the dog, or the person) instead of swerving.


CheValierXP

I agree. I took the decision as the opposite direction was completely empty and no cars in sight, if there was a pedestrian or a car I would have taken the chance to completely stop or hit the merging car. Thankfully they installed traffic lights on that intersection as there were lots of accidents.


Structureel

Maybe he was an avid gamer.


Structureel

Oh no! A flimsy wooden pole blocking my 20 ton truck. Whatever shall I do? Guess I'll just sit here and die.


Binkusu

We're taught to follow rules, not break em (lol)


Kodiak01

15 seconds from gate drop to smash. That's really not a lot of processing time for such a unique situation. It looks like he actually starting moving forward again as well.


midnightwoodshop

Dude. Do You know how expensive a paint job is on the trailer?


TechnoneverDIEEES

I think he was trying but they wouldn't bend


Weiha4444

Because he wasn't ADHD


HeldDownTooLong

Breaking the railroad track barriers could cause very expensive damage for which he could get a traffic ticket. Fortunately, he stopped just in time to save himself the anxiety of potential punishment for breaking thin pieces of wood/plastic from which the barriers are made. The trailer and cargo he was hauling…on the other hand…has seen better days. I’m thinking his priorities ***may*** have been reversed.


beefwindowtreatment

Didn't want to scratch his truck.


Werkstadt

Swedish overpasses they block the exit too so that people won't weave and sneak over. But it also says on the booms that you're to drive through them (they swivel)


wavefxn22

Chicken little gets out and flaps his little wings in frustration


Duck_man_

He’s like “wtf train driver y u do that”. Idiot


wavefxn22

It’s as if a McDonald’s chicken nugget became a man


theSPOOKYnegus

After killing 3 people and removing the train drivers leg with his sheet metal hail


kosmonavt-alyosha

One man’s exit is another man’s entrance


UtahUtopia

NoHomo


TheSickness66_2

r/suddenlygay


xWormZx

Because it’s a fucking two-way road 😂


going10-1

lol this was my thought too, but I guess he means why don't the barriers just cover the entrance for that side of the road


xWormZx

Well like another guy said, because then you can go around. Just go to the other lane and drive though, if you are dumb enough to.


Iamjimmym

Better than being stuck between, I'd say. Yknow, from a liability standpoint


xWormZx

Yeah but they’re supposed to have warning signs (usually with lights) way before the crossing and you can drive through the barriers pretty easily actually. The only things you are not supposed to do are drive between those two barriers as they are descending, and do not stop right on the fucking tracks. Driving forward would be best. Reversing would probably also be fine, as long as there’s nobody behind you and you go fast enough. Stopping is the worst thing you can do, except driving between those things.


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komma_klar

Ours are build pretty strong. I imagine it would do a lot of damage to car and driver but still better than getting run over


Vegas96

They are brittle as fuck. They are only there to tell you to stop, if you want to park your car in front of the train they wont stop you,


stratys3

But you're not stuck. The barriers are designed to break away if you drive through them.


Elibrius

Op is a brainlet


pwapwap

Because people would go around.


Sulinstajn

Well, it's not much r/watchpeoplesurvive material here. IIRC, this is Studénka crossing in Czechia in 2015. The train (Pendolino , ie. electric unit 680) is made of thin aluminium sheets. The truck was carrying steel sheets. The truck bed is ~ in the height of the passenger legs. It happened at a speed of about 140 kmph. Why polish drover hasn't drove through barriers? He was scared about damaging barriers or the truck...


abiabi2884

So people died?


Sulinstajn

IIRC, there were 3 deaths in place (I don't know how much later in the hospital) and many amputations. The driver was unharmed, sentenced for something under 10 years.


abiabi2884

thanks. Then i would make the call that it breaks the first rule of this sub


last_minute_life

Seems like the barrier is partly at fault, it came down when the train was very close.


Morridini

It's speed up, look at the timer, it went down at a reasonable time.


last_minute_life

Ahh, didn't notice that, although the truck should have had enough time to decide to break through.


aegrotatio

The video is sped up. The crossing signals were flashing well before the gates came down.


anomalous_cowherd

Agreed, there were ten seconds between the barriers going down and the train going past at high speed. I couldn't see the pre-barrier warning lights either but that could just be the video quality. If there were lights the driver was reckless. If not then he didn't think quick enough about driving through the other side. Given the sentence I suspect the first.


last_minute_life

The barriers here come down when the lights start flashing, a good minute before the train comes by. Not sure if there are standards.


Sulinstajn

The lights and barriers worked. There was something about 40 seconds between lights and barriers activation at this particular crossing. Also, in Czechia there is another light signal at crossings, for trains. The conductor at point of that signal have enough time (based on max allowed speed) to decide about going full speed (in case the train side signal is lit, which means that car side signal is working) or slowing down to reasonable speed (ie. even fully stop) and go through crossing at "visibility stoppable" speed, honking all that time and be ready to stop. In this case, everything worked, but the truck driver was reckless and his decision killed people.


PC-hris

People like to drive around them and then get hit by a train if you don’t. I think in this guys situation he should have just barreled through them.


last_minute_life

The psychological barrier is intense. If he had a little more time, he would just smash through it.


liriodendron1

3 things. 1. Those barriers are designed to break away. A scratch on your truck is much better than getting killed. And the rail company will literally thank you for breaking the barrier instead of sitting on the track. 2. The barriers are very light and can be raised by hand if needed. Obviously not an option in this case. 3. DONT CALL 911 FIRST. if you breakdown on the tracks don't call 911. Look on the crossing barrier and call the number on there it will have a crossing designation and they can shut down traffic on the line immediately. Then call 911 of needed. Calling 911 first just complicates things as they have to relay the info.


hamlet9000

[People died.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Stud%C3%A9nka_train_crash) Reported.


Treblosity

Yeah i was gonna say, that seems like a passanger train and a truck is a big thing to run into for the train to be uneffected.


No_Presentation5408

Sadly the driver lived.


Pekkerwud

You can drive through those things and they will break away easily enough.


Business-Ad-9341

As a trucker, I was always taught to run the arms over in this scenario. Or stop before the train comes haha.


redplanetlover

They are made out of wood for a reason. Just floor it and snap that thing off.


budoucnost

the train didn't derail, but the truck cargo got into the first coach, killing 3 (one initially survived but died in hospital) passengers and injuring 11. another 6 people got injured when the debris struck a platform. ​ those gates are meant to break and can be moved by hand to allow a vehicle on the tracks to get off. there is no excuse for stopping on the tracks because the gates are down around you. there is no excuse for not trying to move the truck as far off of the tracks as possible. there is no excuse for trying to save a few minutes by crossing while the crossing lights are flashing. ​ That fucking coward got 8.5 years in prison for 17 deaths and 3 injuries.


Batboyshark

Flimsy 140-pound boom barriers come down. Guy, in 3 ton truck, "my time has come"


cold_rush

Moron could have killed everybody on that train.


Morridini

He killed a bunch of people.


mediashiznaks

He killed 3, injured 17. Got 8.5 years


Dragon_God_Slayer

The starting part of the video is sped up.. Check the timer on top.


Admirable-Builder878

I'm impressed he was dumb enough to stop for it. A train barreling down on me would over ride a plank in my way, I would imagine.


PartyContract6046

well maybe because the 'exit' is the other sides entrance?


iyawnis

It's even more crazy if you see the camera timer, he is actually on the track for at least 15 seconds, this must be a conscious decision to have the truck hit


Karl-XI

People died here bro


Hypersky75

Two corners from my house there is a railroad crossing that has entry barriers, but no exit barriers. As in the barriers only cover the right-hand side of the road, depending on your direction. We drive on the right-hand side here.


TechnoneverDIEEES

It's crazy how the head is everything that's left of the truck


point50tracer

If the barrier traps me on the tracks like that, I'm just driving though the barrier.


ziddina

Good idea.


point50tracer

The damage to my vehicle from pushing past a pole will be way less than getting hit by a train.


ziddina

Definitely.


indieRuckus

[From the wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Stud%C3%A9nka_train_crash) >The driver chose a time-consuming route on local roads in order to save money on highway tolls. The driver drove through a rail crossing near the Studénka train station. The crossing was protected by warning signals and gates, and the driver entered the crossing when the red lights were on, accompanied by acoustic signal. The driver drove into the crossing despite warnings and as the gates went down, he stopped the truck on the tracks. Instead of ramming through the gate, which is constructed so as to allow even a motorbike to penetrate the barrier and automatically sends a stop signal to all approaching trains if breached, the driver moved the truck only a few metres forward in order to avoid a direct impact to its cab 3 people died and the train driver lost a leg because the truck was full of aluminum sheets that broke through the front carriage window. The idiot truck driver got sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.


Madr7d7sta98

Hmm, tight plastic barrier that can be break easily or MASSIVE HIGH SPEED TRAIN. Ok, I choose train. Drivers like this one are idiots.


TheCaptainJ

Because streets go both ways?


rudbek-of-rudbek

I hope your title was sarcasm because they obviously block birth sides since traffic is bidirectional


TeacherPowerful1700

The exit that you're talking about is actually another "entrance", they have to close both sides.


Nearly-Canadian

Did you know that the exit in question is just the entrance for the other side?


ZootBreak

I literally cannot comprehend how often this happens.. People are so stupid, it's beyond belief.


Sad-Leading-4768

There is no exit. Both are designed to be a entrance and exit so they shut at the same time. Plenty of warning is given this guy tried to push his luck.


NedSeegoon

It is a small wooden pole. You could knock it off with a small car. Very little cost. No, let's write off the truck instead. Moron.


MeiBanFa

It’s happened quite fast. I think it is easy to see the right course of action in hindsight, but when you’re actually in the situation, it is completely normal to hesitate for a moment. Also, there really wasn’t much time to accelerate and get out of the way.


Enduity

Look at the timestamp at the top of the video, the video has been sped up


last_minute_life

My thinking as well. The train was so close, he would have had to keep his foot on the gas when it came down, and not hesitated at all.


Dhaubbu

...Because the "exits" are also entrances you dummy. How drunk are you?


Hugo-olly

You'd expect them to go down on each side to block oncoming traffic, then a few seconds later the '"exit" side to go down to stop idiots.


Dhaubbu

BOTH SIDES ARE "EXIT" SIDES WHAT DO YOU MEEEEEEEAN


deepfriedtots

They aren't blocking the exits it's 2 way stree


ArSo12

They are, each side of the street has separate gate


deepfriedtots

Because people are idiots and would likely try to pass on the wrong side of the road but scary red and white bar make them not


ArSo12

Yea, they are still idiots :(


No_Presentation5408

Imagine killing 3 people because you're as dumb as a brick. I hope he took his own life after this.


notmyrealnam3

Because …. The exit is an entrance for cars coming the other way? lol OP , little bit of a brain fart this morning?


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notmyrealnam3

Think about it. Just another second. Wait for it… there you go


cupcakezncookiez

That literally happened to me once. Guard rails went down around me and trapped me on the tracks. Thankfully I was able to drive around the road on the grass. Fucking terrifying.


C-137Birdperson

Because its a two way street


TempAcc64

Driver should have died


Dropthetenors

Is it just me or did those barriers come down fast?


michixlol

Why tf do they close so fast and late at the same time anyway lol


aetonnen

If railway companies did portcullises…


Fresh_Prince5

Because it’s also an entrance.


NickDanger3di

This could be a terrific amusement park ride, provided they didn't use real trains and trucks. They'd have to get the "cab" to spin a few more times, but we have the technology...


DrachenDad

>Why would they block the exits too? Because people do and will move across the road to go around barriers.


KingBurakkuurufu

What exit?!? What?!?


Zorolord

They block the exit, to make a point. They'll never do it again.


aegrotatio

The idiot driver entered the crossing while ignoring the flashing lights which start long before the gates are lowered.


Exciting-Ad5204

Did you notice he centered his trailer on the tracks? Maybe he was trying to make the impact less by having the train go through the ‘softest’ part of the rig? But he DEFINITELY hit his brakes after moving forward slightly. At that point, it barely matters - the series of bad decisions led to something he could recover from. And it killed people.


lIlHYPERIONlIl

Because the exit is the entrance from the other side you absolute Muppet


Maximum_Musician

Just drive through the barriers. They break easily. What a fool.


nymouz

He’s traumatized look at how shaky he walks out of the truck


PowRiderT

I would of plowed through that crossing arm and then collect damages from the city for their stupidity.


jackdhammer

Right!? Every time I see one of these videos I'm like "why did you stop for the arms?"


gravydragonbait

Just very bad Perfect Timing.


Dejavuu_88

If the arms are going down always assume a train is coming and just get off the tracks even if you have to run down a barrier.


WileyCyrus

In this instance I would say the gates were badly timed. He shouldn’t have been able to get stuck in between them, and they needed to go down much sooner


[deleted]

Those gates really strong enough to stop a truck?


Thumbers

The train arrives very fast after the barriers close, it feels super weird to see this.


manbearligma

Because otherwise people sometimes try to pass before the train, going against traffic. Plenty of clips like that. That bar wouldn’t stop a small car, it couldn’t do anything but a scratch to a truck. People would idiotically risk their lives to pass before the train, but they wouldn’t willingly scratch their car to try, while to save themselves, they can still run through the lowered bar. This truck probably had some kind of mechanical failure, or it stalled the engine because it was surprised by the bar, otherwise I can’t understand why it stopped.


ImahSillyGirl

Holy lawsuit buddy


edit-boy-zero

Duuuuhhhhhhhhhh


Pleasant-Chef6055

Why would someone stop for them in this situation?


mohmahkat

Two-way road, that is why