SafeTips
Railroad Crossings

• Freight trains do not travel on predictable schedules, and even regular passenger trains alter their schedules. Whenever you get to a train track, expect a train.
• Never drive onto a rail crossing unless you can clear the tracks on the other side.
• If gates are down, the road is closed. Wait until the gate goes up and the red lights stop flashing.
• If you are at multiple tracks and the last car of the closest train passes, stay alert. Look and listen for another train before crossing.
• If you stall on a rail intersection, get out and stay far away from the tracks. Call 911 to report the emergency.
• Racing a train is idiotic.
• Remember that buses and hazmat trucks must stop at all crossings.
• You cannot accurately judge a train’s distance and speed—they typically look farther away and moving more slowly than they actually are.
• A loaded freight train traveling 55 mph takes more than a mile to stop.

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