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Iceland has some PSAs running right now about e-scooter safety that have a similar vibe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSUNZ3quITA&list=PL3prAqz9YEX5y3LyOSGTi

by kd5bjo 3y ago

Iceland has some PSAs running right now about e-scooter safety that have a similar vibe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSUNZ3quITA&list=PL3prAqz9YEX5y3LyOSGTiv6mfW31tiC1w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSUNZ3quITA&list=PL3prAqz9YE...

FriedPickles 3y ago
It's easy to laugh at the Thai posters for how obvious the precautions seem. But this is a good reminder that there are new technologies today for which we don't yet know the "obvious" precautions.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  I didn't feel the precautions were particularly obvious. Sure, maybe individually. But in total, I think they serve as a very potent reminder: trains are dangerous, and your mindset around them should be one of precaution. In many places like Thailand and India, trains are a much more commonplace part of everyday life. Familiarity breeds complacency, and these posters serve as a potent reminder of how dangerous trains actually are. The same dynamic exists with cars in the US. One thing I've found helpful is that, every time I get into a car, I just take a single deep breath and remind myself I am piloting a potentially lethal machine. I find it really helps put me in the right mindset to take better appropriate care when I'm driving.
  - schoen 3y ago
    Maybe, compared to those in more developed countries, more of the trains in Thailand and India run through rights-of-way with less separation from places that people and animals are commonly found? Or maybe more of their crossings used to lack warning equipment and barriers?
    - Animats 3y ago
      I grew up on the south side of Chicago, where there are tracks at ground level with no barriers. How to walk along and cross railroad tracks was covered in first grade. Chicago has so much railroad track that this was as important as how to cross streets. The tracks near where I grew up are still unfenced and at ground level.
    - cranekam 3y ago
      This is more like it. The Thai rail network is not that extensive so trains probably aren’t part of daily life for that many. India has a huge rail network. In both cases, though, train tracks are much more accessible than in developed countries and it’s common to see trains clanking right past people walking along. In India people happily walk across tracks at stations and hang off the side of moving trains. Compare this to the UK and Switzerland, two places I have lived with extensive rail networks. I can’t think of anywhere that the train tracks aren’t clearly separated from everything else — either by fencing or raised platforms or level crossings with barriers. I have never had to think “better look out for a train” living in these places. Edit: Zurich does have a freight train that runs down an inner-city street a couple of times a day. It goes very slowly and has many staff monitoring: https://youtu.be/RWT58TBAdEw https://youtu.be/RWT58TBAdEw
- Animats 3y ago
  Many people are unaware that railroad switches are not only remotely controlled, but powerful enough to crush ballast gravel that gets in the way.
netsharc 3y ago
Damn, Happy Tree Friends vibes...

by kd5bjo 3y ago

FriedPickles 3y ago

It's easy to laugh at the Thai posters for how obvious the precautions seem. But this is a good reminder that there are new technologies today for which we don't yet know the "obvious" precautions.

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
I didn't feel the precautions were particularly obvious. Sure, maybe individually. But in total, I think they serve as a very potent reminder: trains are dangerous, and your mindset around them should be one of precaution. In many places like Thailand and India, trains are a much more commonplace part of everyday life. Familiarity breeds complacency, and these posters serve as a potent reminder of how dangerous trains actually are. The same dynamic exists with cars in the US. One thing I've found helpful is that, every time I get into a car, I just take a single deep breath and remind myself I am piloting a potentially lethal machine. I find it really helps put me in the right mindset to take better appropriate care when I'm driving.
- schoen 3y ago
  Maybe, compared to those in more developed countries, more of the trains in Thailand and India run through rights-of-way with less separation from places that people and animals are commonly found? Or maybe more of their crossings used to lack warning equipment and barriers?
  - Animats 3y ago
    I grew up on the south side of Chicago, where there are tracks at ground level with no barriers. How to walk along and cross railroad tracks was covered in first grade. Chicago has so much railroad track that this was as important as how to cross streets. The tracks near where I grew up are still unfenced and at ground level.
  - cranekam 3y ago
    This is more like it. The Thai rail network is not that extensive so trains probably aren’t part of daily life for that many. India has a huge rail network. In both cases, though, train tracks are much more accessible than in developed countries and it’s common to see trains clanking right past people walking along. In India people happily walk across tracks at stations and hang off the side of moving trains. Compare this to the UK and Switzerland, two places I have lived with extensive rail networks. I can’t think of anywhere that the train tracks aren’t clearly separated from everything else — either by fencing or raised platforms or level crossings with barriers. I have never had to think “better look out for a train” living in these places. Edit: Zurich does have a freight train that runs down an inner-city street a couple of times a day. It goes very slowly and has many staff monitoring: https://youtu.be/RWT58TBAdEw https://youtu.be/RWT58TBAdEw
Animats 3y ago
Many people are unaware that railroad switches are not only remotely controlled, but powerful enough to crush ballast gravel that gets in the way.

netsharc 3y ago

Damn, Happy Tree Friends vibes...