Another 'no barricades' railway crossing collision leaves two dead in Thai South

[webfact]

Another railway crossing collision leaves two dead in South



BANGKOK: -- Another fatal incident involving trains passing railway crossings with no barricades happened again this morning when a motorist crossed an uncontrolled railway crossing unaware of an incoming train.

Two persons in the car died, and two others seriously injured.

The fatal incident happened at 9.00 am Wednesday in Thung Song district of Nakhon Thammarat between Wang and Huey Yod railway stations.

The No 83 Bangkok-Trang express train was running in speed when it suddenly encountered a Honda sedan bearing the Songkhla license plate crossing the tracks.

The train hit the car by the side, triggering a fire on the fatal car.

Passing motorists then helped to rescue three persons out of the burning car and quickly rushed them to Thung Song hospital.

One died later at hospital, and two others still in critical conditions.

Driver of the fatal car died inside his car. He was not yet identified.

The railway crossing has no barricade except warning signs, Kapang local police said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/another-railway-crossing-collision-leaves-two-dead-south


-- Thai PBS 2014-11-19

[ChrisY1]

Stop and look both ways?.......Nah!!!!.....never any trains here!

[siampolee]

BANGKOK: -- Another fatal incident involving trains passing railway crossings with no barricades happened again this morning when a motorist crossed an uncontrolled railway crossing unaware of an incoming train.

In my experience with trains in the U.K., Europe and the America's they do seem a trifle too large to miss seeing thus rendering one ''aware'' of a looming umpteen tons of fast moving piece of machinery.

Edited November 19, 2014 by siampolee

[Misterwhisper]

I sometimes just don't understand how accidents like this can happen so frequently. Don't these motorists ever look left and right if there's a train coming or not? Even a five-year-old knows that one has to look first before crossing a road (or a railway crossing for that matter). How can one be "unaware" of an oncoming train, especially considering that Thailand's trains are not exactly lightning-fast and swoosh by out of nowhere?

But perhaps I should correct myself: Of course I understand how this can happen. We are living in a country where the general population has neither common sense nor any awareness of or concern for their own safety (and that of others).

[NongKhaiKid]

BANGKOK: -- Another fatal incident involving trains passing railway crossings with no barricades happened again this morning when a motorist crossed an uncontrolled railway crossing unaware of an incoming train.

In my experience with trains in the U.K., Europe and the America's they do seem a trifle too large to miss seeing thus rendering one ''aware'' of a looming umpteen tons of fast moving piece of machinery.

Exactly.

In addition, and I can't speak for every crossing in the country, at the controlled crossing in my area the train driver sounds a very loud and distinctive horn as he approaches the crossing.

[theoldgit]

Insensitive remark removed, did the poster notice that two people lost their lives in this accident?

Please show some decency.

[chainarong]

Look to the right , look to the left , look to the right again, how easy is that , anyone who wants to beat the train does so with kamikaze intentions and a complete disregard for the people in the vehicle or train safety , no brains in other words.

[SinCityGr8One]

Stop........Look......Listen, easy as that. Some simple RR education for the motoring public is necessary in the Kingdom, when it comes to RR crossing safety.

[Commerce]

Most Thai drivers make assumptions, and very rarely look. Take for example what we all experience daily. You can be driving correctly, and cautiously, and from the left of a soi comes a car or a motorcyle straight in front of you (even the cycles pull out into the centre of the lane you're on), without even looking to their right. They assume!

To assume a train is not coming is just as culpable... except it has much more severe consequences. Time for Thais to stop assuming the world revolves around them.

[Jay Sata]

The report states the train was 'running with speed' which means around 40 mph max.Not fast by European standards and slow enough to see approaching loco well down the track.

All of these crossings are on straight sections of track so what possible reason could there be for these accidents?

As we all know it is the typical Thai driver approach of just going where they want to go with no thought of the consequences.

Makes you wonder how a high speed system will ever work.

[webfact]

Four killed when car rammed into by train in Nakhon Si Thammarat

BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok-Trang train rammed into a car at a rail crossing in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Thungsong district at 9 am, killing all four people inside the car.

Police said the four were traveling from Songkhla to Krabi and the driver apparently did not know that the spot was a rail crossing.

Three of them were identified as Narong Buadam, 61, Chinnaphat Buadam, 47, and Sawai Buadam, 58. The other was an unidentified woman.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Four-killed-when-car-rammed-into-by-train-in-Nakho-30248129.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-19

[uel1968]

Minds like an audience was Thomas the tank engine,they will never learn to look,left,right,at these crossings.

[RustBucket]

Its a crazy situation.

Q: Why are people not learning from other deaths of this nature?

A: Because it is not such a big problem yet until many are dying.

Then once it has increased sufficiently, the attitude shifts to one of,,, 'It normal in Thai'.

[circusman]

The report states the train was 'running with speed' which means around 40 mph max.Not fast by European standards and slow enough to see approaching loco well down the track.

All of these crossings are on straight sections of track so what possible reason could there be for these accidents?

As we all know it is the typical Thai driver approach of just going where they want to go with no thought of the consequences.

Makes you wonder how a high speed system will ever work.

Where did you get 40 mph from? Pure guess. I prefer facts.

[Jim walker]

Dont need barriers on railway crossings in Thailand Thais just use their good common sense judgement and then cross safely.

[masuk]

Most Thai drivers make assumptions, and very rarely look. Take for example what we all experience daily. You can be driving correctly, and cautiously, and from the left of a soi comes a car or a motorcyle straight in front of you (even the cycles pull out into the centre of the lane you're on), without even looking to their right. They assume!

To assume a train is not coming is just as culpable... except it has much more severe consequences. Time for Thais to stop assuming the world revolves around them.

In both Indonesia and Thailand, I've noticed that few motorcyclists look right before entering a crossing, highway and it seems rail crossings.

I was once told that if you look right and catch the eye of the oncoming driver, then you are obliged to give way.

This possibly explains the (illegal) extreme tinting used here on cars, but not motorbikes. They just plough through. It seems a strange custom.

[IamNoone88]

Darwin was right.

[Equalizer]

Everyone seems to keep blabbing look right look left as if this would ultimately have stopped this from happening. Firstly depending on what perception you get when looking at any given time means the difference between seeing the train or not and this goes for all kinds of traffic. Also you are looking at a small target in a large panoramic view when a train is approaching head on. How many times have you began to pull out of a junction and suddenly their is a car and you break hard, it must have happened to most of us one time or another. Sometimes the brain plays tricks with you, this is a fact and this is why we have BARRIERS

[Pundi6446]

Stop and look both ways?.......Nah!!!!.....never any trains here!

I remember when I was a young boy, most of the RR crossings were only marked with a X sign, and on that sign were the words, STOP, LOOK, LISTEN ! then you proceeded across the tracks.

I guess here in Thailand they don't do any of the three recommend procedures, they just go.

Too bad, very simple to do, for a very hard way to die.

[JacChang]

I think it's Honda's fault, they failed to invent the auto brake when trains are nearby.

We all know Volvos won't have this problem.

[Jay Sata]

The report states the train was 'running with speed' which means around 40 mph max.Not fast by European standards and slow enough to see approaching loco well down the track.

All of these crossings are on straight sections of track so what possible reason could there be for these accidents?

As we all know it is the typical Thai driver approach of just going where they want to go with no thought of the consequences.

Makes you wonder how a high speed system will ever work.

Where did you get 40 mph from? Pure guess. I prefer facts.

I am giving you facts. I have spent quite a bit of time on Thai trains and clocked their speed using the GPS on my phone. I don't think the ancient rolling stock or the track would cope with any more than that speed.

Are you claiming they can do 70mph? Have you been on a train in Thailand that does more than that?

If so no need to build the so called high speed railway.

[lucjoker]

for ever dumbo killed in traffic ,10 more will replace him tomorrow.

It is only getting worse.

Just simple defensing driving isn't enough these days !

[mrfill]

Its a crazy situation.

Q: Why are people not learning from other deaths of this nature?

A: Because it is not such a big problem yet until many are dying.

Then once it has increased sufficiently, the attitude shifts to one of,,, 'It normal in Thai'.

Alternative answer: Because the previous collisions were down to bad luck and I don't have to worry about that as I made merit.

Once the problem gets worse then you need to get the bad spirits removed by the local ghostbusters.

If that doesn't work, blame someone else.

[Daffy D]

Can't wait for the High Speed trains to start

[Pattaya28]

Cost of electronic barriers "versus" cost of life.

Cost of life looses.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Pattaya28

[Jay Sata]

The will never put electric barriers out in the sticks and worse still the Thais make their own ad hoc crossings.

[mok199]

BANGKOK: -- Another fatal incident involving trains passing railway crossings with no barricades happened again this morning when a motorist crossed an uncontrolled railway crossing unaware of an incoming train.

In my experience with trains in the U.K., Europe and the America's they do seem a trifle too large to miss seeing thus rendering one ''aware'' of a looming umpteen tons of fast moving piece of machinery.

Exactly.

In addition, and I can't speak for every crossing in the country, at the controlled crossing in my area the train driver sounds a very loud and distinctive horn as he approaches the crossing.

having been a locomotive engineer for 33 years in canada with trains 12000 ft long and 25,000 tons...the law requires a whistel of 2 longs a short and another long(14L),in additon bell must be rung and headlights on bright with all ditch light on,from a distance marked by a ''whistel post'',on the right side of the tracks approaching all ''all'' crossings,i have seen to many crossing accidents,but i also know when you use gates or arms they often just drive around them...

Edited November 19, 2014 by mok199

[akampa]

If these morons want to do these idiotic actions well more fool them because they obviously don`t give a shit about their lives or others and I for one don`t give 1 seconds thought about how to change there mind set because it will take a herculean task to change.

[Travelman868]

I sometimes just don't understand how accidents like this can happen so frequently. Don't these motorists ever look left and right if there's a train coming or not? Even a five-year-old knows that one has to look first before crossing a road (or a railway crossing for that matter). How can one be "unaware" of an oncoming train, especially considering that Thailand's trains are not exactly lightning-fast and swoosh by out of nowhere?

But perhaps I should correct myself: Of course I understand how this can happen. We are living in a country where the general population has neither common sense nor any awareness of or concern for their own safety (and that of others).

The train was going so fast it took 50 meters to stop !!!!!! so it may have been doing 15 mph. Having said that Thai's do not like stopping even at red traffic lights

[connda]

Hummm. Call me paranoid, but when I come to an unmarked RR crossing, I stop, look left, look right, listen for noise or horns prior to driving across. But then again, I don't blow through unmarked intersections either like virtually every Thai driver on the road does.