Railroad crossing safety — Connecticut Permit Test

Never try to beat a train across the tracks.

A train is bigger and closer than it looks, and it cannot stop or steer out of your way.

Never try to beat a train across the tracks.

It is wise not to shift gears when crossing railroad tracks, because you might stall.

A stall on the tracks is the one breakdown with a deadline, and a gear change is the usual way to cause it.

It is wise not to shift gears when crossing railroad tracks; you might stall.

Trains are large and may be moving faster than they seem to be.

Size fools the eye into reading a train as slower and further away than it is, and the mistake is fatal.

Remember that trains are large and may be moving faster than they seem to be.

An Emergency Notification System sign at a highway-rail grade crossing gives a telephone number, available at any hour, for reporting problems or emergencies at that crossing.

A vehicle stuck on the tracks needs the railroad stopped, and that number is the only way to do it.

provides the public with a 24/7/365 telephone number to call to report problems or emergencies at these railroad locations.

Do not attempt to drive around a lowered railroad crossing gate.

A gate is down because a train is coming. Driving around it is the single most reliable way to be hit by one.

Do not attempt to drive around the lowered gate.

What does the manual say about beating a train across the tracks?

Never try it, at any crossing. A train is bigger and closer than it looks, and it cannot stop or steer out of your way. Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.51: “Never try to beat a train across the tracks.”