Railroad crossings — Michigan Permit Test

When approaching any railroad crossing, slow down and look both ways; trains can take a mile or more to stop.

A train cannot swerve and can barely brake. Avoiding the crash is entirely up to you.

Trains can take a mile or more to stop

An approaching train is closer and moving faster than it appears.

A train's size makes it look slow and far, which leads drivers to try to beat it.

an approaching train is closer and moving faster than it appears.

When a train is coming, all vehicles must stop no more than 50 feet and no less than 15 feet from the tracks.

Too close and the train can hit you; too far and you block the road for no reason.

If a train is coming, all vehicles must stop no more than 50 feet or less than 15 feet from the tracks.

Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet on each side and may have cargo that extends even farther.

Stopping right at the rail is not enough. The train is wider than the track it runs on.

Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet on each side and may have cargo that extends even farther.

Whether on foot, on a bicycle or in a vehicle, cross railroad tracks only at designated crossings, and never walk down or stop on the tracks.

Crossings are built where trains and traffic can see each other; elsewhere you are hidden.

cross railroad tracks only at designated crossings.

If there is a stop sign at a railroad crossing, you must stop whether or not a train is in sight.

A stop sign at a crossing means the view is limited, so you stop and look every time.

If there is a stop sign at the crossing, you must stop whether or not a train is in sight.

Do not drive through, around or under any activated railroad crossing system.

Gates and lights come on because a train is coming, even if you cannot see it yet.

Do not drive through, around or under any activated railroad crossing system.

Unless marked otherwise, school buses, vehicles carrying passengers for hire, gasoline trucks and hazardous-materials vehicles must stop at railroad crossings even with no stop sign or signal.

A crash involving these vehicles would kill many people or spread dangerous cargo.

school buses, vehicles carrying passengers for hire, gasoline trucks and other vehicles carrying hazardous materials must stop and make sure no train is coming, even if there is no stop sign or railroad crossing signal.

Once the train has passed, do not proceed until the gates are raised, the signals stop flashing, the bells stop ringing and you are sure all tracks are clear.

A second train can be hidden behind the first one, coming on another track.

Once the train has passed, do not proceed until the gates are raised, signals stop flashing, bells stop ringing and you are sure that all tracks are clear.

Passive railroad crossings have no flashing lights or gates; they use advance warning signs, pavement markings and crossbuck signs with yield or stop signs, and you must yield to any rail traffic.

With no lights to warn you, looking both ways is the only warning you get.

Railroad crossings with passive control systems do not have flashing lights or gates to warn of approaching trains.

At an active railroad crossing, stop when the bells are ringing, the lights are flashing, or the gate is down or in motion.

Any one of those signals means a train is near.

Stop when the bells are ringing, the lights are flashing, or the gate is down or in motion.

Avoid changing gears while crossing railroad tracks.

Stalling on the tracks while shifting is exactly the place you cannot afford to stall.

Avoid changing gears while crossing railroad tracks.

Never cross the tracks unless there is enough space to completely clear the far side by at least 6 feet.

If traffic stops with your car still over the rails, you are trapped in the train's path.

enough space for your vehicle to completely clear the far side of the tracks by at least 6 feet.

When there is snow on the road, cross the tracks with enough speed to keep from becoming stuck at the crossing.

Stopping or spinning your wheels on snowy tracks can leave you stuck in a train's path.

When there is snow on the road, proceed over tracks with enough speed to prevent you from becoming stuck at the railroad crossing.

How far can a train take to stop?

A mile or more. A train cannot swerve and can barely brake. Avoiding the crash is entirely up to you. What Every Driver Must Know, p.35: “Trains can take a mile or more to stop”