stop. look. listen.

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This is one of the lessons I've learned when crossing railroad tracks. Along my morning route, I have to go past at least three crossings, with only one having a barricade that drops whenever a train goes by. The two others are along the national highway and are mainly manned by barangay tanods: if there's a train passing, someone stops traffic on both sides of the road. During my evening route, I have to cross at least two more. The unblocked crossings I pass everyday are quite dangerous; they have been the sites of several collisions between cars and trains already. I even had an almost close call a few years back near  what is now SM Calamba. The train just missed me by about five seconds!

So anyway, given the dangers of crossing train tracks when there are trains, I was appalled at seeing two vehicles in the Makati City area rush across the barricade just as it was dropping (with the second car being hit by the barricade on the roof). The train was just a few meters away and the two drivers decided they could risk crossing the rails! Take note that on the opposite side of the rails, the roads were packed with cars. They looked; they listened; but they did not stop.

Yes, traffic in the metro is bad. Yes, drivers in the metro compete for the tiniest gap between vehicles. Yes, everyone in the city is in a hurry. But no, crossing the railroad as a train approaches is not worth risking one's life for. In fact, by doing such a dangerous stunt, the two drivers endangered their lives, those of pedestrians and of train passengers, and of their fellow motorists. 

How selfish. 

How stupid.

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