News Forum - Man fails to outrun train on motorbike, dies

[Thaiger]

If you’ve ever thought about trying to outrun a train… Don’t. Yesterday in Pattaya, a man thought he could probably make it across the tracks before an oncoming train reached the crossing. He thought he could outrun the train, and he was wrong. The man was killed when Train #5101 en route to the Sattahip district nearby in Chon Buri struck his motorbike. The accident took place near the Thamma Samakkhi temple in Bang Lamung district’s Nong Prue subdistrict. The 25 year old man tried to veer around the train crossing arm that blocked the road at 8.30pm yesterday evening. […]

The story Man fails to outrun train on motorbike, dies as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Pinetree]

It's just Darwinism playing out. 

[Soidog]

  On 1/2/2023 at 12:50 PM, Pinetree said:

It's just Darwinism playing out. 

Expand  

Yes. Same with the road fatalities and the ever so successful campaigns during the Seven deadly days. 218 in 4 days (54.5/day). Trending close to the normal 60/day. 

[HolyCowCm]

Could not imagine being a train conductor and having to constantly see death caused by stupidity. 

[Bluesofa]

  On 1/2/2023 at 11:56 AM, Thaiger said:

The 43 year old train conductor reminds the public that trains are big and heavy and usually travel around 90 kilometres per hour

Expand  

I'm definitely not a trainspotter, but 90 kilometre per hour seems to me like that's fast for a Thai train? Especially the Bangkok-Rayong route, it's normally a local service.

Also, is that a photo of a Thai train? I've never seen one with such a large number painted on the side. The credit says Rail pictures.net, so has someone used a stock photo of a train?

[Soidog]

It’s bad enough when the trains are jogging along at a slow pace. Can you imagine the carnage if they ever do build a high speed rail line? Soi dogs by the hundred. Som tam sellers dead on tracks. Pickup trucks using the lines as a short cut home. No one should be selling high tech to the Thais until they show they can handle it properly. Carnage 

[Bluesofa]

  On 1/2/2023 at 11:29 PM, Soidog said:

No one should be selling high tech to the Thais until they show they can handle it properly. Carnage 

Expand  

But they can - aren't most of them on Facebook day after day, and watching Youtube. All at lightning fast speed.

<For the hard-of-learning: The text above may contain traces of sarcasm>

[Ramanathan.P]

He might have been watching some Hollywood movies earlier about hero doing their acrobatics on the screen....

[Pinetree]

  On 1/2/2023 at 11:29 PM, Soidog said:

It’s bad enough when the trains are jogging along at a slow pace. Can you imagine the carnage if they ever do build a high speed rail line? Soi dogs by the hundred. Som tam sellers dead on tracks. Pickup trucks using the lines as a short cut home. No one should be selling high tech to the Thais until they show they can handle it properly. Carnage 

Expand  

Many years ago, I was sold the myth that the Thais are a patient, calm people, who never lose their temper, or act irrationally, or act with impetuous idiocy.  Now I know that very many are far from calm, often lose their temper, often act with impetuous stupidly and are probably the most impatient people I know, especially on the roads and i've been to New York. 

[Soidog]

  On 1/3/2023 at 5:05 AM, Pinetree said:

Many years ago, I was sold the myth that the Thais are a patient, calm people, who never lose their temper, or act irrationally, or act with impetuous idiocy.  Now I know that very many are far from calm, often lose their temper, often act with impetuous stupidly and are probably the most impatient people I know, especially on the roads and i've been to New York. 

Expand  

Not just you that was sold that @Pinetree  Many millions who choose to visit Thailand on holiday each year are sold it. I think it’s wrapped up in that mysterious word “Thainess”? Images of people sat at your feet serving you drinks, rows of monks chanting and beautiful girls doing exotic dancing, all add to the imagery. As you say, arrive in the country and stray off the tourist narrative and you see it’s very different indeed. There is a Thai word for patience, but it sure doesn’t mean what it means in English.
 

One of my favourite people watch, is to stand near the glass elevators in one of the shopping malls and see what happens as it stops on each floor. They can see there are people in the elevator and we all know there’s a good chance a few people will get off at your floor. It’s normal to stand back and let people out and then you get in. Each time, there is the dance of people eager to get out and the same eagerness of people wanting to get in. As for the roads; they’d kill you to save 1 second. 

[Pinetree]

  On 1/3/2023 at 7:33 AM, Soidog said:

Not just you that was sold that @Pinetree  Many millions who choose to visit Thailand on holiday each year are sold it. I think it’s wrapped up in that mysterious word “Thainess”? Images of people sat at your feet serving you drinks, rows of monks chanting and beautiful girls doing exotic dancing, all add to the imagery. As you say, arrive in the country and stray off the tourist narrative and you see it’s very different indeed. There is a Thai word for patience, but it sure doesn’t mean what it means in English.
 

One of my favourite people watch, is to stand near the glass elevators in one of the shopping malls and see what happens as it stops on each floor. They can see there are people in the elevator and we all know there’s a good chance a few people will get off at your floor. It’s normal to stand back and let people out and then you get in. Each time, there is the dance of people eager to get out and the same eagerness of people wanting to get in. As for the roads; they’d kill you to save 1 second. 

Expand  

Doing 100kph, coming up to a junction, a car appears at the junction,  distance to me, approx:  100 feet, no traffic behind me and he/she/it pulls out, not into the motorbike lane, but straight in front of me.  If I had 100 Baht for every time that happens to me, I would be able to buy the whole of Pattaya, twice over. 

[Soidog]

  On 1/3/2023 at 7:49 AM, Pinetree said:

Doing 100kph, coming up to a junction, a car appears at the junction,  distance to me, approx:  100 feet, no traffic behind me and he/she/it pulls out, not into the motorbike lane, but straight in front of me.  If I had 100 Baht for every time that happens to me, I would be able to buy the whole of Pattaya, twice over. 

Expand  

Yes, I’ve experienced that too. My favourite one is approaching a T junction in a normal Soi and looking to turn right. The the left to right lane you are turning to is clear for you to turn in to, but the right to left traffic is blocked and going nowhere. After a while there is a car lengths of movement and you imagine the gap would be left for you to turn out of the Soi and in to the clear lane and away. No! The next car along creeps forward and blocks your path!!
 

Traffic jams at rush hour have very little to do with traffic volume and nearly all to do with lack of patience. Stopping or giving way to ease the flow of traffic causes total confusion with the Thais.
 

Several times I’ve been driving and had Thai passengers who have asked “why you stop”?  Answer: Well the road ahead of me is slow or blocked. They guy in the side road simply wants to cross in front of me so I let them out to get traffic in the side road moving. Look of bemusement and bewilderment crosses their faces!  Courtesy isn’t a Thai trait I’m afraid. 

[Pinetree]

  On 1/3/2023 at 8:08 AM, Soidog said:

They guy in the side road simply wants to cross in front of me so I let them out to get traffic in the side road moving. Look of bemusement and bewilderment crosses their faces!  

Expand  

Letting cars in, my g/f just says to me 'why you want to be kind today, they are never kind to us'.   How true. 

[Soidog]

  On 1/3/2023 at 8:14 AM, Pinetree said:

Letting cars in, my g/f just says to me 'why you want to be kind today, they are never kind to us'.   How true. 

Expand  

Well I think that’s part of the issue. It’s dog eat dog out on the roads. It just confuses me how a society with that attitude behind the wheel, projects itself to the outside world as the epitome of calm and politeness. I don’t know how they’ve managed to pull it off.
 

I do wonder if similar thoughts of impatience pass through the minds of Thai pilots…. 

[Pinetree]

  On 1/3/2023 at 8:58 AM, Soidog said:

I do wonder if similar thoughts of impatience pass through the minds of Thai pilots…. 

Expand  

Well I have a story about them, but not for public dissemination here.  

[Soidog]

  On 1/3/2023 at 9:00 AM, Pinetree said:

Well I have a story about them, but not for public dissemination here.  

Expand  

Feel free to PM me. I often make a joke saying that the most dangerous part of my journey from London or Amsterdam to Thailand is my domestic connecting flight with Thai Smile. I joke in a somewhat nervous way as I feel there’s a thread of justification in my fear! 

[Pinetree]

  On 1/3/2023 at 9:25 AM, Soidog said:

Feel free to PM me. I often make a joke saying that the most dangerous part of my journey from London or Amsterdam to Thailand is my domestic connecting flight with Thai Smile. I joke in a somewhat nervous way as I feel there’s a thread of justification in my fear! 

Expand  

I think even PM may be out in this case. as it may get us both in trouble.   

[Soidog]

  On 1/3/2023 at 9:28 AM, Pinetree said:

I think even PM may be out in this case. as it may get us both in trouble.   

Expand  

One thing I do wonder (sorry as off topic now). Do Thai pilots use English when they make radio calls while flying in Thai airspace? I did hear French pilots regularly use French when flying in French airspace? 

[Pinetree]

  On 1/3/2023 at 9:31 AM, Soidog said:

One thing I do wonder (sorry as off topic now). Do Thai pilots use English when they make radio calls while flying in Thai airspace? I did hear French pilots regularly use French when flying in French airspace? 

Expand  

Yes they do, the French, Spanish, Chinese and Russians are notorious for using their own language far too often, or, in the case of China and Russia, hardly use English and never with their own airlines.  In my own airline, Asian based, an English (Western) Captain had to have a Chinese speaker as First Officer when transiting Chinese airspace. It was all mightily irritating. As an aside, Thai air traffic is excellent, very professional.  

[Dedinbed]

  On 1/2/2023 at 11:56 AM, Thaiger said:

. He thought he could outrun the train, and he was wrong.

Expand  

and now he is a sleeper .. 

[socal]

  On 1/2/2023 at 12:50 PM, Pinetree said:

It's just Darwinism playing out. 

Expand  

You were never 25 before ?

Joking. I never did it but seen my idiot brothers do it all the time 

Edited January 3, 2023 by socal

[socal]

It's a pretty common practice 

Google "out run train dies"

Edited January 3, 2023 by socal

[Soidog]

Hard to get your head around the stupidity of people some times. There’s fun and there’s even wild fun. But this is moronic suicidal behaviour. Probably best he’s gone now rather than taking a few others with him on the road. Little sympathy I’m afraid. 

[Pinetree]

  On 1/3/2023 at 9:25 PM, socal said:

You were never 25 before ?

Joking. I never did it but seen my idiot brothers do it all the time 

Expand  

Yes I was, but I was never that stupid, or perhaps more accurately, suicidal.