Thursday, November 6, 2008

Why Cars Get Hit by Trains is Beyond Me.

My drive to work is about 40 minutes each way on a good day, so in the mornings I listen to all different radio stations depending on how I feel. Usually my dial (dial - HA - why is it still called a dial?) ends up on Live 105, and I listen to the randomness that is the Woody Show.

They're entertaining, someone usually laughs hysterically which we all know is contagious, and it's great chatter for my drive to work. Today in their news segment, they reported that Caltrain was late because it struck a car. It seems like there's a story like that every month at least.

Let me back up for a second. This is a train & these are train tracks.


The train cannot drive on the street and cars should not drive on the tracks. I'm not sure why this seems to be such a difficult concept for some. A train hits a car - how is that even possible? It's not like the train drove off of the tracks and was like "hey, I think I need to hit that car" or anything. I can understand a car hitting another car - two people who aren't paying attention in moving vehicles. I get it. What I don't get is how someone in a car, in the bright morning rush hour probably on the same route that they drive every day, can be sitting on the tracks of a moving train, and not move. You know you're on train tracks - it's pretty obvious. Next time you're driving, note that there may be train tracks in front of you, behind you, under you, and get out of the way. It's a train for pete's sake. Move.

Cheers to my rant.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will pray for you since you totally just jinxed yourself. Watch out for that Wine Train.

Wine Chick said...

Ok - you're right. Disclaimer: When I speak of trains, I am referring to those that travel 20mph+. The Wine Train goes 15mph on a good day. I could get outta my car and push it before the Wine Train got me. Now I just jinxed myself some more. I'll have to get back on karma's side and wave to the tourists on the back of the DubT.

Anonymous said...

It should also be noted that the trains usually travel on tracks that have those stupid arms that come down blocking auto traffic so the trains can pass. So again, we ask: how does a car get in the way of a train if there are clear arms with blinking red lights that come down and block their path??

Wine Chick said...

Very good point that I forgot to mention. Unlike this area, where the DubT could bump me at any moment because of the lack of blinking arms, most train tracks have those. May I mention one more time: It's a train, it's bigger than you, move outta the way. Obvious to most, not to some. May the force be with you.