Railroad crossings — Indiana Permit Test

Vehicles required to stop at railroad crossings must stop no closer than 15 feet and no farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail.

Closer than 15 feet, a train can hit the vehicle; farther than 50, the driver cannot see down the tracks.

Some vehicles are required by law to always stop at railroad crossings not closer than 15 feet or farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail.

All school buses, all vehicles carrying passengers for hire, and all vehicles carrying explosives or flammable liquids must stop at railroad crossings.

A crash with a train would be deadliest for these vehicles, so they always stop and check.

All vehicles carrying explosives or flammable liquids

Where a crossbuck is posted with a stop sign, come to a complete stop and cross only after making sure no train is coming.

The stop sign is there because the view down the tracks is poor.

When a crossbuck is displayed with a stop sign, you must come to a complete stop and proceed over the tracks only after making certain that a train is not approaching.

When warning bells, flashing lights or gates are active, stop and wait until the warning ends or an officer or flagman tells you to go.

The signals start before the train is in sight, and trains are faster than they look.

When there are active warning bells, flashing lights, or lights and gates, you must stop and not proceed until the active warning is canceled or you are directed to proceed by a law enforcement officer or railroad flagman.

It is illegal to drive around a railroad crossing gate that is down.

A lowered gate means a train is coming, and many deaths at crossings happen this way.

It is illegal to drive around a crossing gate that is down.

Do not stop or shift gears while crossing railroad tracks, and never start across unless you can clear the tracks without stopping.

Stalling or getting stuck in traffic on the tracks leaves you in the train's path.

A driver should never begin to cross railroad tracks unless the tracks can be cleared without stopping.

Where there is more than one track, after one train passes make sure another is not coming on another track.

A second train can be hidden behind the first one until the last second.

Where there is more than one track, a driver waiting for the track to clear must make sure another train is not coming on the other track once the first train has cleared.

Once crossing lights flash and the gate starts to lower, you have about 20 seconds to get off the crossing.

That is very little time, so if you are stuck, get out of the car at once.

Once the track crossing lights begin to flash and the gate begins to lower, you have approximately 20 seconds to escape from the crossing.

If you are stuck on the tracks with a train coming, get everyone out and run away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle toward the oncoming train.

Running toward the train's direction keeps you clear of flying wreckage pushed ahead by the impact.

In the event that you or another motorist are stuck on the railroad tracks or crossing, you should evacuate the area, inform others to do the same, and run at a 45-degree angle away from the tracks in the direction of the oncoming train.

If your vehicle is stuck on the tracks and no train is coming, call the Emergency Notification System number on the blue sign at the crossing, then call 911.

The railroad can stop trains before they reach you, which 911 alone cannot do quickly.

Immediately call the Emergency Notification System (ENS).

Some trains run on tracks in the middle of streets, where traffic signals flash red in all directions when a train approaches.

Treat that flashing red like any crossing warning: stop and wait for the train.

In those cases, traffic signals flash red in all directions to indicate the presence of an approaching train.

At some gated crossings in quiet zones, trains do not sound their horns, so you cannot count on hearing one.

Rely on the lights and gates, and on your eyes, not on the sound of a horn.

Be aware of ‘local quiet zones’ where locomotive horns are not sounded by approaching trains at some gated crossings.

How far from the nearest rail must a vehicle that is required to stop at a railroad crossing stop?

Between 15 and 50 feet. Closer than 15 feet, a train can hit the vehicle; farther than 50, the driver cannot see down the tracks. Indiana Driver's Manual, p.48: “Some vehicles are required by law to always stop at railroad crossings not closer than 15 feet or farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail.”