stupid driver + train tracks = a big mess

Around 11:15pm last night, a woman was driving her car across train tracks. The gates went down, signaling that a train was coming. What did she do? This video will explain:

Instead of driving through the barrier, the woman decided to get out of her car and flee in terror. According to Mainichi, she said the following:

“The gate closed (before I got my car out of the crossing) so I panicked,” the woman was quoted as telling investigators.

Situations such as the one the woman found herself in are the reason why the warning gates at most Japanese railway crossings are made out of bamboo. Rather than serving as indestructable barriers that force drivers to abandon their cars, resulting in train derailment and delays for thousands of passengers, the gates are designed so that they can be easily driven through without causing serious damage to cars. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are forced to snap a bamboo railway crossing, do not worry: you just need to report what happened at the nearest station and pay a repair fine. The cost is usually less than 10,000 yen ($100), which probably less of a hassle than having your car bashed into scrap metal by train…