Railroad Crossing Safety

Railroad crossing collisions and casualties are more common than you might think. Last year, the Federal Railroad Administration reported 1,967 collisions at train crossings, 949 injuries, and 273 deaths.

Are you railroad-crossing savvy? Do you know just what to do when you approach a railroad crossing in your vehicle, or when a train is coming down the tracks? You ought to; a driver is 30 times more likely to die in a collision with a train than with another vehicle. It's hard for any car to stand up to a mile's worth of fast moving metal.

Take the following railroad crossing safety quiz to test your knowledge and brush up on the facts:

1. True or false: Most vehicle-train collisions occur more than 50 miles from the driver's home because unfamiliarity with railroad crossings increases the likelihood of accidents.
   
   
2. We know trains can't stop on a dime. After breaking, how much further does a 150-car freight train moving at 50 miles per hour continue to travel before it finally comes to a stop?
   1. 500 feet
   2. 3,000 feet
   3. 8,000 feet
   4. 150 feet
      
      
3. True or false: It is okay to drive around lowered crossing gates if there is no train in sight.
   
   
4. When your vehicle stalls on railroad tracks you should:
   
   
   1. Get yourself and everyone else out of the vehicle and walk away from the tracks but toward the direction from which the train is coming. Call for assistance.
   2. Get yourself and everyone else out of the vehicle and walk away from the tracks but in the direction opposite from which the train is coming. Call for assistance.
   3. Stay in the vehicle if you do not see a train coming and the crossing gates are up, call for assistance, and wait inside the vehicle until help arrives.
   4. Try to push your vehicle off of the tracks.
      
      
5. You approach a red light. There is one vehicle ahead of you; its driver stops for the light on a portion of clear asphalt. Immediately behind that car are some railroad tracks. Where should you stop your vehicle while you wait for the light to turn green?
   
   
   1. Immediately behind the other vehicle, on the tracks. The streetlights are coordinated with the railroad; no train can come through until the light turns green.
   2. Further behind the other vehicle and well off of the railroad tracks, with the railroad tracks remaining clear and plenty of room for the crossing gates to come down.

Answers:

1. False. Most vehicle-train collisions occur close to the driver's home-within 25 miles of it, to be precise.
2. C. A 150-car freight train traveling at 50 miles per hour takes 8,000 feet to stop. That's one and a half miles.
3. False. This is an easy one; whether or not you see a train, stay put until the gates have risen and the flashing lights have stopped.
4. A. Get yourself and everyone else out of the vehicle and walk away from the tracks but toward the direction from which the train is coming. This will prevent you from being injured by any debris should a train collide with your vehicle.
5. B. Further behind the other vehicle and well off of the railroad tracks, with the railroad tracks remaining clear and plenty of room for the crossing gates to come down.

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