Railroad crossings — Illinois Permit Test

A driver must yield the right of way to any approaching train or railroad equipment.

A train needs more than a mile to stop and cannot steer. Every other rule about crossings follows from that one fact.

You must yield the right of way to any approaching train or railroad equipment.

A driver must stop within 15 to 50 feet of a railroad crossing where a stop sign is posted, the electric signal is flashing, or the crossing gate is lowered.

Closer than 15 feet is inside the swing of the train, and further than 50 feet leaves you unable to see. The window is where both are true.

When approaching a railroad crossing, you must stop within 15-50 feet if there is a posted stop sign, if the electric signal is flashing, or if the crossing gate is lowered.

A driver may proceed across a railroad crossing only after the gate is all the way up, the lights have stopped flashing, or a flagger has signaled traffic on, and must check all the tracks first.

A second train on another track arrives while the first one is still in sight. Looking down every track is the habit that catches it.

You may proceed only after the gate is all the way up, the lights are no longer flashing, or the flagger has signaled traffic to proceed. Visually check all the tracks for additional oncoming trains or railroad equipment before proceeding.

Where a railroad crossing has no warning devices, or only a crossbuck sign, a driver must slow down, look both ways along the track and listen for a train before crossing.

A crossing with no lights gives no warning at all. Slowing, looking and listening is the warning system you provide yourself.

If a railroad crossing has no warning devices or only a crossbuck sign (see page 81 for an example of a crossbuck), slow down, look in both directions of the track and listen for a train or railroad equipment. If it is safe to do so, proceed with caution across the railroad crossing.

A driver may not enter a highway railroad crossing unless there is enough room on the other side for the whole vehicle without blocking the rails.

Stopping on the tracks because traffic ahead has not moved is how cars are hit by trains. The room has to be there before you start across.

You may not enter a highway railroad crossing unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the crossing to accommodate your vehicle without obstructing passage of a train or other railroad equipment using the rails.

Vehicles carrying people for hire, school buses and vehicles carrying hazardous materials must stop at most railroad crossings.

A bus or a tanker takes longer to clear the tracks and carries more to lose. Knowing which vehicles stop is how a following driver expects it.

Vehicles required by law to stop at most railroad crossings are vehicles carrying people for hire, school buses, and vehicles carrying hazardous materials.

Where a vehicle stalls on railroad tracks, everybody should get out at once, call 911 and move away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle in the direction the train is coming from.

A struck car throws debris forward along the track. Walking toward the train at an angle takes you out of that path rather than along it.

If your vehicle becomes disabled and is stuck or stalls on railroad tracks, everyone in the vehicle should get out immediately, call 911, and move away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle in the direction of the train.

A driver whose vehicle is stuck on the tracks, or one of the passengers, should call the railroad Emergency Notification System on the number shown on the blue sign near the crossing.

The number reaches the railroad that can stop the train, which 911 cannot do directly. It is on the post you are standing beside.

passengers should call the railroad Emergency Notification System. This number is located on the blue sign affixed to the railroad crossing post near the tracks.

A driver with a manual transmission should shift down before reaching railroad tracks and not change gears while crossing them.

Changing gear on the tracks is the moment a car stalls. Picking the gear before you start removes the chance.

If a vehicle has a manual transmission, shift down before reaching the tracks. To avoid stalling, do not change gears while crossing the track.

Who has the right of way at an Illinois railroad crossing?

The train or railroad equipment. A train needs more than a mile to stop and cannot steer. Every other rule about crossings follows from that one fact. Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.33: “You must yield the right of way to any approaching train or railroad equipment.”