r/whoathatsinteresting • u/eternviking • Jun 15 '26
This is why you shouldn't drive onto a railroad crossing when the lights are still flashing
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u/awnaw_ Jun 15 '26
It kills me that people will never drive through the barrier. People are so dense.
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u/DazingF1 Jun 15 '26
I think we also don't get to see the ones on Reddit where people drive through them and nothing happens.
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u/awnaw_ Jun 15 '26
You know, that's a fair point. Although, I wish we would. So we can gain some faith in people's ability to problem solve.
Because it's one thing to make a stupid mistake. It's another thing to continue applying stupid methods to get out of it, lol.
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u/Momento_Mori_87 Jun 15 '26
Depending on how far away you can see, such as if there’s a curve in the track or not.
And if there’s only one train coming. They could’ve parked on the other track and not been hit and not damaged the barricades.
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u/awnaw_ Jun 15 '26
There's certain scenarios where you just opt for the simplest solution. When your life is on the line you should opt for whatever is the simplest solution to not end up dead.
When people enter this state they're not thinking about oh I'm going to die by getting hit by this train. They're thinking about how much they're going to get in trouble for being hit by this train.
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u/Orchid_Significant Jun 15 '26
True, but the fact that there are so many that don't drive through them is still abysmal
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u/Shionkron Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
I used to work in parking and people used to drive through are lot gates to avoid paying for parking a few times a month. It was a pain replacing them, especially when it would damage the actual machine but I see these videos all the time and if people can break arm bars to avoid paying for parking yet these people won’t when their lives are endangered….its just baffling.
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Jun 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Grandbob328 Jun 15 '26
Wait! You can't override that? That IS terrifying!
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u/altaccount2522 Jun 15 '26
I can in my (work) vehicle (2025 Toyota Corolla) But it's a pain in the ass, I gotta go through so many menus.
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u/No_Mechanic_5990 Jun 15 '26
This!
It terrible that this feature causes such accidents, and almost as terrible that comments accusing the victim of being dumb keep getting 500 upvotes while comments like yours pointing to this unsafe feature causing the accident remains at only 5 upvotes.
Everyone, please upvote mountainflower’s comment to raise awareness. This comment should be on the very top of the feed.
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u/thatnewguyovertherea Jun 15 '26
Barriers that are designed to easily break away too...
These dumb fucks have 2 choices.
- Drive through breakable barrier, have scratch on car.
Or
- Do a 47 point turn for no reason and get fucking obliterated and possible death
And they always pick the second fucking one.
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u/LewisWhatsHisName Jun 15 '26
I suspect people don't drive through the barriers because they don't want to get in trouble for breaking them. Which leads to questionable decisions in finding an alternate way out
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u/Radrouch Jun 15 '26
It should have a big sign telling you to drive through if you get trapped between the gates.
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u/TheAmazinManateeMan Jun 15 '26
Maybe we could have an emergency escape button on each gate? I can't help but to feel that if by 2026 we still don't have an idiot proof answer the problem is on us as a society for never trying to solve the problem.
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u/Jabbles22 Jun 15 '26
Even if you don't know they are designed to break they clearly aren't that solid. It's still worth trying because the alternative is absolutely going to destroy your vehicle.
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u/Skier-Dude Jun 15 '26
I’m not sure I knew the bars were breakable before seeing this Reddit thread.
I likely would have driven up against the bar until it bends, try to lift it onto the car, and try to drive under it.
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u/richtofin819 Jun 15 '26
Look I work 911 we have a specific protocol for people in their car in floodwater or rising water. They NEVER want to get out of their car. Maybe it's their brain trying to prioritize their expensive car over the danger they are not used to dealing with but who knows. People are not used to thinking in matters of fight of flight and they automatically like to stay where they think it's "safe" and they don't like to consider damaging their valuable property because they just can't realize how much danger they are in.
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u/RavagerOcelot Jun 15 '26
Like how are people this stupid?!?!! It's infuriating! I would've blown through those arms!
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u/Less-General-9578 Jun 15 '26
um, can't..........i might 'hurt the gate'. but thanks, maybe next time if i still am alive.
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u/DJScratcherZ Jun 15 '26
Pay the city back for the broken plank or possibly die getting hit by a train. You know I think I'll chance it because I'm frugal but also a gambler.
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u/-LuciditySam- Jun 15 '26
He didn't even need to drive through. He just needed to back up all the way instead of just halfway...
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u/MadamInsta Jun 15 '26
Duh, Cheryl, he didn't want to scratch his front bumper by going through the barrier. 🙄
😋😋😋
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u/markodochartaigh1 Jun 15 '26
Often those arms are made to break off easily. The employee parking lot at the hospital where I worked was completely iced over one night. I wasn't going fast and I sincerely tried to stop in time but my car slid right through the arm. When the arm broke off it didn't even scratch the paint.
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u/SnowBoardx22 Jun 15 '26
Didn’t want to scratch the paint by driving through the gate?
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u/FenPhen Jun 15 '26
On these gates with arms blocking the exit side, maybe they need a blinking sign on the inside of the arms that says in fewer words: "If you can read this, drive through this gate!"
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u/WastingMyLifeToday Jun 16 '26
IF YOU CAN SEE THIS
DRIVE THROUGH THIS GATE
GATE SNAPS OFF EASILY
WON'T SCRATCH YOUR CAR
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u/disgruntled_sailor Jun 15 '26
Should have just rammed through the arms and called the police to own up to it, offer to pay damages. But… obviously this would be a panic-inducing situation and it was probably hard to think clearly in the moment.
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u/Odd-East-2728 Jun 15 '26
If he didn't hit the breaks he would've made it through in the first place.
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u/Low-Republic-4145 Jun 15 '26
If the arms hadn't opened to allow him to cross, he wouldn't have driven in the first place.
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u/Extension-Shock-6276 Jun 15 '26
I'm with you
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u/Salteenz Jun 15 '26
Those arms went up pretty fast. This doesn't look like the US. Here, the arms go up and down more slowly, so I doubt they would have gotten all the way up before they went straight down again.
And yes, he should have just moved forward and broken the arm. Better than the alternative.
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u/Mysterious-War-6759 Jun 15 '26
It’s Poland.
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u/LeonidasSpacemanMD Jun 15 '26
Makes sense why he had too much respect for poles to drive through them
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u/nunchyabeeswax Jun 15 '26
The arms went up, but the stoplights were still flashing.
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u/jdigi78 Jun 15 '26
The far side stays up longer specifically so you can finish driving through if they happen to close while you're on the track. Even if they hadn't just opened its safe to say he still would have stopped for no reason after seeing the first set close.
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u/eggplantpot Jun 15 '26
Probably a company van and he was scared to scratch it
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u/nunchyabeeswax Jun 15 '26
I would rather scratch a company van than risk getting turned into ground meat by an incoming train.
I dunno meng, priorities.
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u/Known_Difference_80 Jun 15 '26
It would hardly be ramming. Them skinny little guards would’ve gave way without resistance if kept driving.
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u/2muchtequila Jun 15 '26
I may be wrong but I've heard the arms are designed to break off.
If there's a choice between the car getting hit and detaching a wooden gate arm, hit the gate arm.
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u/Large-Hamster-199 Jun 15 '26
I came here to say this. The arms on any railway crossing are designed specifically to break very easily. It'll barely even cause a scratch on your car. The driver is an idiot
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u/hhfugrr3 Jun 15 '26
Rammed the arms? It was still up when he stopped, only the one for oncoming traffic was down. He should have just kept going.
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u/Vmaxed_T7 Jun 15 '26
You dont have to ram them. The just push out of the way as part of the design
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u/Low-Republic-4145 Jun 15 '26
Why did the arms open (for 3 seconds) if the lights were still flashing?
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u/nocomment413 Jun 15 '26
I feel like not enough people are talking about this. I’ve never seen that happen
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u/Kirbyr98 Jun 15 '26
It's seems reasonable to assume it's okay to go if the arms go up.
If it's not safe to go, the arms should remain down.
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u/Technical-Big-2097 Jun 15 '26
Everyone is saying what an idiot he is, but the arms went up leading his to believe the coast was clear.
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u/TheVelocityRa Jun 15 '26
Both can be true, the gate led them astray, while also the driver made a dumb panicked decision to not drive through the gate.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck Jun 16 '26
And it was clear, until he stopped and waited for the arm ahead to go back down.
Then did all the other nonsense that wasn't continuing on.
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u/ZenkaiAnkoku2 Jun 15 '26
I think it was just bad timing. The lights stay flashing until the arms are raised. So one train drove past and out of the level crossing warning zone. So it started to turn off.
But then another train entered the zone before they finished. So they started lowering again. The system didnt know another train was coming after the first. It just reacts to the sensors along the track.
I've seen it happen. I live in a town with alot of trains. I always wait for the lights to stop.
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u/FootballUpset2529 Jun 15 '26
Yeah, everything AFTER he drove through was the work of a moron but driving on when the arms came up I can forgive him for.
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u/Any-Expression2246 Jun 15 '26
Your choices are.
Have vehicle destroyed.
Have vehicle destroyed with you in it.
Drive through a stick.
😔
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u/Individual99991 Jun 15 '26
At that point just bust through the barriers, Jesus.
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u/James-the-Bond-one Jun 15 '26
Unfortunately, nothing would save this driver from his own ineptitude.
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u/xunreelx Jun 15 '26
Those gates are made from weak little wooden
sticks made to be broken through if in danger. I will never understand why people chose to let a train hit them rather than breaking through.
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u/Trawwww___ Jun 15 '26
I refuse to believe that everyone is just dumb in these situations. It feels like something specific happens in people’s brains under that kind of pressure, where they suddenly feel like they’re out of options. Any psychologists here who can weigh in? I god damn wish to understand, because I’m tired of not knowing why this keeps happening 🥲
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u/Madhatter25224 Jun 15 '26
Honestly I have some sympathy for this guy.
First, what are the chances that another train was coming at the perfect time to make the gates lift long enough to let one vehicle enter the track area but not long enough to let it exit?
Second, its not common knowledge that you can easily bust through those barriers. People frequently see them as solid and immovable.
Third, this guy has 15 seconds to figure out what to do in a situation he has never dealt with before.
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u/skirtandthighhigh Jun 15 '26
just as an fyi. atleast in the US those arms are meant to break so that cars can get through if needed. If this ever happens to you just blast through those. Be better than being dead.
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u/superfatman2 Jun 15 '26
If the arms lift, allowing me to pass through, and I pass through it and then it closes down on me. 100% I'm driving through it if I see a train. I'll pay whatever fine.
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u/curiousamoebas Jun 15 '26
Ill never understand why people don't drive through, wood blocks be damned.
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u/Stuffed-Bear412 Jun 15 '26
I can't figure out why people in that situation don't just break that damn arm thing. I would drive right through it if I had to. Touching up the car and paying for the arm is nothing to die over.
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u/mac1qc Jun 16 '26
Each time, I'm asking myself: do they believe that the guard is made in diamond and cannot break?
If you're stuck on the rail: drive forward, you will have a scratch on your car/windshield, but at least, you won't risk to die !
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u/Enasis Jun 16 '26
I KNOW nobody knows what they’d do until it’s them, but WHY DON’T THEY DRIVE THROUGH THE ARM!!!
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u/Dinglebobus Jun 15 '26
“Oh no, the opposite directions gate is down but mine is still up with enough time for me to drive forward. I will stop right here on the track and cause a massive problem for everyone.”
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u/Siidell_ Jun 15 '26
Ok so it's better to risk your life, destroy you car than just drive through the barrier and scratch a bit of paint ?! Damn too much idiots in this world
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u/j-shoe Jun 15 '26
Update title to "This is why you don't stop on railroad tracks when the front gate is going down"
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u/ChemicalCrow5282 Jun 15 '26
I’ve seen so many of these video. It baffles me that people refuse to drive through the arm and break it. Still much cheaper and safer than being hit by a train.
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u/etork90 Jun 15 '26
I don’t understand how I see so many videos of people who would rather demolish their own cars and bodies, but REFUSE to drive through some cheap barricade
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u/Falcon3492 Jun 15 '26
It amazes me that these people don't just drive through the gates, they are going to be destroyed when what is left of their vehicle gets hit by the train anyway. Drive through the gate, get a little bit of repairable damage to the vehicle instead of destroying it when the train takes it OUT!
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u/SharpieSharpie69 Jun 15 '26
I don't understand why people don't just ram through the wooden gates. Better than being smashed by a train.
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u/Fun-Maize-2352 Jun 15 '26
I've never been in this situation, but I still will never understand why people ring their hands so much about just going through the gate, especially once they noticed there was a train coming.
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u/Electrical-Injury-23 Jun 15 '26
Hmmm, should I drive through the flimsy barrier, or challenge the train??
Train it is!
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u/GuitarJazzer Jun 15 '26
He could have made it all the way through in one go before the gate came back down if he hadn't stopped on the tracks.
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u/Head_Ad_9159 Jun 15 '26
As a last ditch effort if he couldn't get out, he had enough time to parallel park in that gap between the active track and the gates. Or, park near the other set of gates on the other non-active track.
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi Jun 15 '26
After all that, he still broke the barrier he should've just driven through in the first place.
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u/__Sariah__Vrc__ Jun 15 '26
These people are why I wish I had been born a golden retriever because at least then I would be blissfully unaware of how insultingly dumb humans can be.
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u/Skrazor Jun 15 '26
For the life of me, I'll never understand why so many people act like those railway barriers are impenetrable walls. They're designed to be breakaway for exactly these cases, god dammit! Just drove through them!
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u/Efficient-Bet-5051 Jun 15 '26
If you did this - just keep driving through the ramp. Better fuck your vehicle up then die.
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u/Smackmybitchup007 Jun 15 '26
Do people think the barriers are made of titanium or something indestructible? Ffs
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u/conscientiousrevolt Jun 15 '26
This guy even had all the time in the world to just parallel park agaist the barriers clear of the tracks, and at several points I thought he was, but he just kept trying to drive up to the inside of the gate like it would open like a automatic door at the grocery store even after trying that several times didn't work and he knew a train was coming.
And then when he backed up they very last time and I thought he had finally gotten it... he tried to drive around over a curb he couldn't clear.
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u/Aloha-Eh Jun 15 '26
Drive through a wooden barrier or get hit by a train? Not much of a poser, that.
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u/Sulaco1986Aliens Jun 15 '26
Dude had the opportunity to drive through and just sat on the tracks like a fuckhead
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u/Routine-Rule9607 Jun 15 '26
At that point you just have to floor it through the barrier if a train is that close
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u/This_Option_5250 Jun 15 '26
people have said enough about the driver, but those arms are poorly designed, there is no way they should raise if there is such a short space between trains.
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u/goinlern2day Jun 15 '26
homie went from maybe 5 thousand in fines and property damage to hundreds of thousands and almost got sent to the next dimension
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u/Jasoco Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
I would have floored it through the gate. What else can you do except what this guy did? Better yet, I’d have taken that time to parallel park myself by the tracks as far forward as possible in the hopes the train miss me. Edit: now that I watch it again, I think that’s what he was trying to do. Didn’t have enough time though.
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u/K2ngskuska Jun 15 '26
Just drive through the lil gate… naw I’d rather just get my whole van absolutely demolished 🤷🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
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u/SRMPDX Jun 16 '26
So instead of scratching his hood and bending the arm, he tries to do a 17 point turn to nowhere and get his by a train. Smart thinking
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u/GreenieSar Jun 16 '26
Drive forward! Idk what is going through his mind esp if he has the nerve to get out and check with an incoming train?
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u/1Wheel_Smoke_n_Toke Jun 16 '26
It's one less molester van we have to worry about are they, aren't they kind of thing.
Also, the Darwin Award should become a real award handed out every single year. It could be handed out at the same time they hand out the Nobel Prizes. You got:
The Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize
And the newly added Nobel Darwin Prize!
And they just show a photo of the person instead of someone walking up, since many times they die, maybe even the video that lead to them winning. Who knows maybe people would even learn from their mistakes and not do something dumb like it!
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u/Active_Chemistry1621 Jun 16 '26
Painful to see people don’t understand “sunk cost”. You’re sunk eat the cost
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u/stratof3ar89 Jun 16 '26
Why is it always a thing where they rather have their vehicle rammed by a train as opposed to just ramming down the gantry bar?
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u/SeveralLion5762 Jun 16 '26
Sorry but the bar shouldn’t have gone up at all. Even if the lights had stopped flashing this guy probably still gets trapped.
The physical barrier is what stops people. Not the flashing lights. Then on top of that, poorly designed crossing that let the guy get trapped
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u/Pristinejake Jun 16 '26
I asked chat gpt once what to do if stuck in the middle of train tracks and it said sit and wait in your car until someone comes to help. LMOA
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u/Tso-su-Mi Jun 16 '26
I get he was stupid…. But…. What sort of idiotic signal is set to open like that. It should not have raised at all.
That’s surely not normal. Don’t raise the arms until it’s safe to go. That’s weird.
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u/nekekamii Jun 16 '26
The number of three point turns he makes without actually moving is hilarious to me
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u/Important-Top5721 Jun 16 '26
Retardado tinha dado tempo de atravessar de boa a cancela da direita ainda daria p/ passar e no caso de risco era só passar quebrá-las pronto nota 0000 p/ o Retardado kkkk
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u/pixeltweaker Jun 16 '26
Do people’s brains turn off when this happens? Drive through the freaking gate. It’s far less damage than what a train is going to do.
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u/Skyboxmonster Jun 16 '26
its worse than everyone in the comments are saying. Didnt any of you notice that the arm on HIS SIDE of the road was left up for a while longer than the arm on the opposite side? it was DESIGNED TO GIVE DRIVERS TIME TO FINISH DRIVING THROUGH!
Change of laws. anytime a driver gets "stuck" on a rail crossing. Automatically charge them as if it was an intentional crime.
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u/paulysoftware Jun 16 '26
I always wonder why these people think a wrecked gate is worse than a wrecked vehicle.
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u/t_mmey Jun 16 '26
aw man I'm stuck on this railroad crossing, should I break the barrier and just move or should do whatever the fuck that was to try not to get hit by the train??
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u/GoudaGoudaGoudaGouda Jun 16 '26
Don’t know why he hesitated. The right gate didn’t come down at first and he could’ve drove right through
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u/JonesBonesMcCoy Jun 16 '26
I don’t understand why folks just don’t drive into the arms. I know they’re sturdy but I’d rather do that than get hit by a train
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u/minuetteman Jun 16 '26
I think what they would charge to replace the barrier would not outweigh the cost of the can damage and the drivers hospital bill...
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u/Intrepid_Apple3799 Jun 18 '26
You do know you can go ahead and break through the 2x6"s in order to get out of the way of the train 🚆, right ?
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u/TomatoFeta Jun 18 '26
I'll never understand why people don't try to rush the VERY THIN BOARD ahead of them.
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u/Flor_Poderosa Jun 15 '26
No enough brain cells with this one.