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Re: Sacramento Light Rail proves too heavy for this driver.
Author: DCA
Date: 01-30-2012 - 22:10
Yes, quad gates make it tougher to do the wrong (and often deadly) thing, but to get to that "open lane" a driver must cross over double-yellow lines, violate the law that requires staying to the right of center when approaching a railroad crossing, and then pull out across railroad tracks that probably contain a train approaching from either direction at a rapid pace.
When someone is that foolish, there is not a whole lot that society can do to make life safe for him/her. I know of incidents where people have driven right through railroad gates that were down, and actually saw one myself from our engine cab, north of Stockton. That guy never even slowed down and smashed the gate into small pieces. And of course anyone who has ridden the head end of trains has seen many, many close calls at crossings.
To quote a certain country comedian, "You can't fix stupid."
When someone is that foolish, there is not a whole lot that society can do to make life safe for him/her. I know of incidents where people have driven right through railroad gates that were down, and actually saw one myself from our engine cab, north of Stockton. That guy never even slowed down and smashed the gate into small pieces. And of course anyone who has ridden the head end of trains has seen many, many close calls at crossings.
To quote a certain country comedian, "You can't fix stupid."
