Railroad crossings — Idaho Permit Test

Where you are required to stop at a railroad crossing, you stop within 50 feet but no less than 15 feet from the nearest rail.

Closer than 15 feet is inside the swing of a train, and further than 50 feet is too far back to see along the track.

you should do so within 50 feet but no less than 15 feet from the nearest rail of the crossing

The chance of death or serious injury in a collision between a train and a motor vehicle is 40 times greater than in other highway crashes.

The figure is what makes a railroad crossing different from every other intersection a driver meets.

The chance of death or serious injury in a collision between a train and a motor vehicle is 40 times greater than for other highway crashes

The stopping distance for a 150-car freight train traveling 50 miles per hour is 7,000 feet, which is a mile and a third.

By the time the driver of the train can see a car on the track, the train has already passed the point where it could stop.

The stopping distance for a 150-car freight train traveling 50 miles per hour is 7,000 feet or 1 and 1/3 miles.

You must stop when the flashing-light signals at a crossing are actively flashing, and may only proceed when you can do so safely.

The lights are wired to the track, so they are telling you about a train you cannot see yet.

You must stop when the lights are actively flashing and may only proceed when you can do so safely

You must never drive through, under or around a crossing gate that is lowered or being lowered.

The gate is down because a train is coming, and a car caught under it has nowhere left to go.

You must never drive through, under or around a crossing gate that is lowered or being lowered

Never stop your vehicle when any part of it is on the track.

A car stopped on the rails is in the one place a train cannot go around.

Never stop your vehicle when any part of your vehicle is on the track

In traffic, never cross the tracks unless there is room for the full length of your vehicle on the far side.

The traffic ahead can stop without warning, and the car behind will have closed the gap you were going to reverse into.

never proceed across the tracks unless there is adequate room for the full length of your vehicle

Never shift gears while driving through a crossing, because it may cause the vehicle to stall on the tracks.

A stall is a small inconvenience anywhere else on the road, and it is the whole danger here.

Never shift gears while driving through a crossing; this may cause your vehicle to stall on the tracks

Watch out for a second train, and do not proceed until you are sure no train is approaching on another track.

The first train blocks the view of the second, and it clears just as the second arrives.

Watch out for a second train. Do not proceed until you are sure no train is approaching on another track

Some buses and trucks are required to stop at all railroad crossings, so watch for vehicles that must stop there.

A bus stopping at an empty crossing looks like a bus stopping for nothing, and the car behind is the one that pays.

Watch out for vehicles that must stop at crossings. Some buses and trucks are required to stop at all railroad crossings

Look both ways as you approach a railroad crossing, even if the flashing-light signal is not working.

The signal can fail without anybody knowing, and a driver relying on it will not find that out in time.

Look both ways as you approach a railroad crossing, even if the flashing-light signal is not functioning

Railroad crossings should always be considered dangerous. Listen and look both ways for an approaching train, and never proceed until you are certain it is safe.

Trains are quieter and faster than they look, and a crossing that has always been empty is still a crossing.

Railroad (RR) crossings should always be considered dangerous

Pavements are often marked in advance of a crossing with an X and the letters RR.

The marking is under the wheels at the point where a driver is still looking at the road rather than at the sky.

pavements are marked in advance of a crossing with an X and the letters RR

Emergency Notification System signs are posted at or near a railroad crossing and list the railroad's phone number with the crossing number, so a malfunction or emergency can be reported.

A stuck gate or a car on the tracks needs the railroad told directly, and the number is only posted at the crossing.

The sign displays information needed to notify the railroad of an emergency situation or of a warning device malfunction

How close to the nearest rail must a driver stop at an Idaho railroad crossing?

Within 50 feet but no less than 15 feet. Closer than 15 feet is inside the swing of a train, and further than 50 feet is too far back to see along the track. July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.60: “you should do so within 50 feet but no less than 15 feet from the nearest rail of the crossing”