Reuters reports that the death toll in yesterday's train crash in Amagasaki, Japan (near Osaka) has risen to 73.
The train, packed with commuters, jumped the tracks yesterday and smashed into an apartment complex. ABC Radio Australia reports that driver error was the likely cause:
I may get hit on my bike someday, but if I do, it'll be because of some mistake I made, even if that mistake is nothing more than watching out for other drivers doing stupid things.
The 73 dead and hundreds of injured passengers on that train, on the other hand, were powerless to avoid their fate.
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Authorities believe the train's 23-year-old driver was speeding and failed to negotiate a corner, throwing four of the train's seven carriages from the tracks in Amagasaki, 500 kilometres south-west of the capital, Tokyo.A friend of mine says that riding a motorcycle is "taking your life in your own hands". Well, yeah. That's exactly where I want it — not in the hands of some slacker kid who's having a bad day.
The train, which was carrying some 580 passengers in Monday morning's rush hour, was running late after the driver missed a station and had to back up to let off passengers.
I may get hit on my bike someday, but if I do, it'll be because of some mistake I made, even if that mistake is nothing more than watching out for other drivers doing stupid things.
The 73 dead and hundreds of injured passengers on that train, on the other hand, were powerless to avoid their fate.
An admirer
Posted by Ken
Posted by Brian
Posted by GaijinBiker
Posted by flaime
And "whitelining", or lane-splitting, is quite accepted in Japan. Some scooters here even have a button that electronically folds in your side mirrors for easier lane-splitting.
Posted by GaijinBiker
Posted by a guy in pajamas
Posted by a guy in pajamas
And while it’s no lightweight at 244kg dry, its mass is carried low to make city riding a cinch, especially once you hit that magic blue button that folds in the rearview mirrors.
There you have it. Why would you need to fold your mirrors in to park, anyway?
Posted by GaijinBiker
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