I'm one for *travel but here is another reason I won't be visiting Houston anytime soon!

Adding video to channels (Travel) - requested by thesnipe.

What the hell kind of idiots don't look in their rear view before turning. DRIVERS ED 101 PEOPLE!

upvotage for mass transit pwning cars!

love the black 4x4 smash!

woop!

We have such a horrid transit system. Houston desperately needs a subway. Don't come to Houston unless you like flat hot and no personality in a city. Ugh.

this video makes me say BOOM over and over

Evolution in action?

wonder if putting some flashing lights on the front would help.

I could see this happening. See that's why you have a turn lane. You should have to get over a lane (where people look out behind them) and then turn from there. But you can't so the turn lane is the middle lane and that train is flying. If the rail slowed down to half speed near intersection there probably would be as many collisions. Peopl assume the traffic is all moving relatively same speed, ie. I figure out who is behind me in rearview and assume for the next 10 seconds it is relatively unchanged. But super speeders and cops zooming up the road can screw with you and often people move over a lane not knowing someone if going twice their speed from behind.

Wingnut: What about L.A.? It's worse there! I live there!

gorgonheap: More like drivers think they can outrun them!

I work in the Texas Medical Center (the train goes right through it). The rail track goes over the turn lanes! So here you are thinking your clear and going to turn left and BAM! here comes a speeding train.

Just this week I notice they've embedded a series of red lights that delineate the turn lanes. The lights start flashing when the train is coming to show drivers that they shouldn't get in the turn lane.

They only built this rail line in a failed attempt to get the Olympics in Houston. (It goes from Downtown to the Astrodome/Reliant Stadium complex.)

Quality post, T-man. I'd notch it if I could.

I noticed in most of those accidents, a left turn was not allowed out of the lane the vehicles were turning from. The reason is obvious, looking in your left side view mirror when making a left turn is not natural or intuituve. Houston would have been better off if that tram was up on a rail off the ground.

maybe they should think about elevating the track.

wtf? what about using traffic lights? i've never seen anything more stupid in public transport.

Now, I've had an entire Chevrolet Suburban hidden in my blind spot before, but how do you not see a TRAIN?
And several of those hits are right in the driver's door - though almost none of them appear to be that serious, I still hope none of these were fatality accidents.

You also need to remember that this thing goes right through the Texas Medical Center. There are a lot of people driving there that coming for a doctors appointment. They are frequently lost and confused. Add a train going over the left turn lanes and only bad things can happen.

Traffic Lights?? How about reading the sign that says no left turns??? Then these same morons complain about the system. It's great if they stop making ilegal left turns.

How idiotic are the drivers in Houston? Do they realize there is a rail system and "look" before making a left turn, or are some distracted by cell phone talk and don't realize a train is approaching ere they make their turn? I don't see how the metro system is at fault when the drivers should be aware where they are before executing a turn, if the turn is permissible under the traffic laws of the city.

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This is totally EIA