A shocking dashcam clip that made the rounds on Reddit left viewers stunned after a driver risked their life — and others' — to beat a train at a railroad crossing.
The clip, posted to the r/IdiotsInCars community, shows traffic slowing to a stop at a railroad crossing as the gates are lowered for an oncoming train. Then, a car being driven on the wrong side of the double yellow line passes everyone to go through the crossing, missing the train by only a few seconds.
The caption read, "The train just has to win one time."
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
Beyond the immediate danger to the driver, playing "chicken" with a train puts passengers, train operators, and motorists at risk. Railroad crossings have gates and warning lights, which often lower before you see the train, precisely because trains travel at high speeds and require a lot of distance to stop.
Moments such as this spark anger because they reflect a broad disregard for shared rules that keep roads safe for everyone. When one person takes a reckless risk, others can pay the price — from emergency responders to families living or traveling nearby. As the saying goes, "Don't be in a hurry to die."
One commenter shared that someone in their state had done the same thing, only they didn't make it.
Another said, "I was talking to a railroad flagger on a project about cars trying to beat the train, and he said it's not a matter of if but when the train crew sees someone lose the race and their train wins."
A third added: "Fun fact, at minimum from the time you see the crossing lights activate to the time the train hits the pavement is 20 seconds (at least by U.S. [Federal Railroad Administration] standard). He was quite a far way away when that started to attempt to make the move."
Another commenter summed up the consensus, saying, "That person is a menace to society."
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