Driving around the crossing arms is deadly.

We keep getting this out on country roads, single track, where you can see both

ways for some distance...I think it has to do with the much less frequency of trains

than was true when I was a kid.  There are long stretches of what looks like unused track, and even some double tracked mainlines where trains run at night and most people never see one, UNTIL! SPLAT!!   As your mommy told you, look both ways before crossing the steet...uh..tracks!

You'd think we'd be running out of idiots by now...

Rusty

am guessing they need that you tube link from  KOOLjoc1 to air for all on national tv?

titled dumb ways to die!

$oo

The best way to keep drivers from crossing railroad tracks when a train is getting close to a rail crossing is to have a regular 3 position traffic lights the same as the ones at street intersections all around the world. I have seen this at only one road crossing railroad tracks and it is in Newark, New Jersey. Drivers will respect a regular traffic light with red signal lights than what we have now at rail crossings.

Ed G. (Along The New Haven Line of Metro-North and Amtrak)

Back in 2007...there was a woman with her two kids.  She tried to beat a train by speeding in a mall parking lot.  Cut a hard right over the tracks.  She didn't see a second train coming from the opposite direction.  All where killed.  I just don't understand people. 

Surly you jest! In the Chicago area, the yellow light ONLY means "caution", and NOT prepare to stop. The red traffic light, doesn't necessarily mean "stop" either, it all depends on what they can get away with.

The ONLY way to prevent idiots from going around the gates, is to have actual "crash barriers", which can NOT be circumvented! Simply force the drivers to stay stopped until the barrier is lifted,,,,,PERIOD!

In my area, drivers think the yellow means "speed up", with red meaning "speed up some more and try to look at least one direction when going through the intersection".  Nevertheless, it seems like they must consider that a car approaching them will probably be able to slide to a stop.  The three colors for RR crossings sounds interesting.  It seems like even an idiot should know that a train can't stop as fast, or swerve to avoid a crash.    But I could be wrong.  (I thought I was wrong once, but I made a mistake).

ChessieMD, I think that that incident is about 6:30 into this video clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NzUYMt70Go  

The was a video on the local new last night, I only caught the tail end of it, showing a tractor trailer crossing the tracks and the trailer getting pasted by a train.

The truck driver admitted to being "distracted..."

Rusty

Nicole,

You are correct.  That is it.  It just was in the news again I believe yesterday because the family is suing CSX.  Yep...read that right.  By the way...some shocking footage in the vid.

"All where killed"

IIRC there were three kids in the car. the woman and one child survived. two kids died.

i could be wrong.  

she was so intent on watching the train she was trying to beat, she never saw the other one and it slammed into the first one.

Close.  The Mother actually survived, but died 10 days later. 

An Indiana mom attempted to outrun a freight train at an intersection but didn't see a train approaching from the other direction and crashed, killing two of her children, police said.

Authorities released a video showing Edie Bolanos attempting to outrun an eastbound train in her minivan by cutting through a parking lot and making a quick turn.

"It seemed that she [Edie Bolanos] was so intent on beating the eastbound train, she never even saw the westbound train that hit her," Hammond Police Sgt. Michael Jorden said.

Two of Bolanos' children, Crystal, 11, and Anahi, 8, were ejected from the van and pronounced dead at the scene. The other two children in the van were in stable condition.

In reply to Hot Water. If a driver won't stop for a red signal at an intersection then the driver won't stop at any red signal and that driver must suffer the results. Red light cameras will have to be installed at all intersections and railroad crossings if what you say is true in the Chicago area. I'm glad that I don"t live in your area. Where I live all of the roads go either over or under railroad tracks, no grade crossings here.

Ed G. (Along The New Haven Line of Metro-North and Amtrak)

You are indeed lucky Ed. To add, yesterday a taxi failed to, not only stop for the red light at the intersection, he failed to stop for the flashing red lights on the CFD huge FIRE TRUCK! Both the taxi driver AND his passenger went to the hospital in ambulances. The CFD Firefighters were pretty mad that the nice red paint on their big snorkel rig was scratched.

It isn't just railroad crossings. We are literally surrounded by idiots! To top that off, the state of Illinois is now issuing driver licenses to UNDOCUMENTED AILENS!  We are truly doomed here.

Red Light cameras doesn't stop 'em either...

Rusty

This would be great until some idiot gets himself trapped between the barriers (and you KNOW it would happen).  Maybe if the barrier was like a drawbridge with dry "moats" protecting the track opposite from the bridge...

I think a better solution would be to eliminate crossings altogether and require roads to tunnel under or go over the track by way of an overpass, at least in areas where trains travel fast enough to kill the occupants of an average car.

Andy

Not even being trapped by barriers will stop some people! 

And some more.....

Miller Engineering needs to make one of those skull crossing signs.

The young taxpayer that you are, will surly pay through the nose for THAT!

ignorance is curable, stupid is forever!

Yep, the morons are among us.

And the worst part of that?

Here in the USA they VOTE.

Thus we have stupid nanny laws and lawsuits from them that should be laughed out of court.

You would think so....sadly....

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. 
Albert Einstein 

As there seems a reluctance to install a full set of barriers on both lanes, then perhaps an option could be to put an armco barrier between the two lanes for say 100 yards.

Then people would be kept within a restricted lane unable to nip over the other side and around the half barrier. Of course I'm sure some will attempt the wrong lane even that far back but it might reduce some idiocy. 

I know this won't be feasible at all crossings but if it could be done it may reduce some fatalities

Darwin

Ukaflyer

That's a thought. But after 30 plus years of working traffic as a State Trooper it just never astounded me what a driver would do to avoid ANY traffic control device. Often resulting in fatalities. Sometimes you just have to admit you can't fix stupid.

Ukaflyer,

Your idea is EXACTLY what the FRA & NTSB is/will require at ALL rail crossings in passenger/commuter service areas. But I do not know what year that mandate starts.

Let's see, running around the gates:

1.  Running solid red light at end of gate.

2.  Lane change in intersection.

3.  Not yielding ROW.

That makes three moving violations right there. 

We need a law where one cannot sue if he/she does something illegal during the action.

This is one way a highway-railroad crossing can be upgraded to a quiet zone.

Probably just rearranging the numbers on the roulette wheel, the fifth idiot in line, beyond the wall, will go around the barriers instead of the first idiot.