The rules of crossing railway lines
The rules of crossing railway lines may seem obvious, but an understanding of the way level crossings operate could save your life some day.
“The danger is particularly acute when travelling on an unfamiliar route,” says Arrive Alive.
Arrive Alive also reports that police statistics show that up to 95 per cent of crashes at railway crossings are caused by driver error.
Take a look at Arrive Alive’s safety advice for motorists below:
- Road users must follow road rules and signs and pay attention to the road environment when approaching rail crossings.
- Always remember that where there’s a crossing, there’s danger.
- Not all railway crossings have boom gates and most do not have flashing lights.
- When you see a sign indicating a crossing – slow down, look and listen and be prepared to stop at the yield sign but stop at the stop sign. The flashing lights are there to warn you of oncoming trains and failing to stop under this circumstance is a very dangerous act.
- Slow down so that you can stop if necessary. You’ll add hardly any time to your journey, but it may save your and someone else’s life.
- Don’t be fooled by an optical illusion – trains in the distance are often closer and travelling faster than they appear.
- Never enter a level crossing if red lights are flashing. Wait for the lights to stop flashing before driving across railway tracks
- Do not cross the track until you are sure the train or trains have passed – If there are signals, wait until they stop flashing and, if the crossing has a barrier, wait until it rises before you cross.
- If you decide to zig zag through the barriers it is an extremely dangerous act. Never drive around, under or through a railway gate while it is down or is being lowered or raised.
- Never race a train to the crossing — even if you tie, you will lose!
- If a train is coming, stop at least five metres from the nearest rail or gate – Never stop on the tracks. Also ensure that the back of your vehicle is 5 meters clear of the track.
- Accelerate swiftly until you reach the railway lines and drive over the railway lines. Avoid shifting gears on a railway crossing.
- Never queue on a railway crossing – if you have stopped on a crossing and a train is approaching, immediately drive off the track or get out of your car and move clear
- A common mistake is stopping on the tracks while waiting for traffic ahead of you to proceed. Not only do you risk a collision with a train, but your vehicle could be struck by the barrier arms if they’re activated. If you are caught between closed barriers it is better to drive through than being crushed by a train. (This practise was decided upon at the 10th International Symposium on Level crossings.)
- To avoid these situations, stop well behind the barriers and wait until you have enough room to clear the tracks completely.
- Do not get trapped on the tracks. Only proceed through a level crossing if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is a metre wider than the tracks on both sides.
- If you get trapped on a crossing or your vehicle failed, immediately get everyone out of the vehicle and move quickly from the track to a safe location. It will not help to stand on the rails and wave for the train to stop. It can’t.
- Move quickly away in the direction the train is coming from. If you run in the same direction the train is travelling, when the train hits your car you could be injured by flying debris and burnt by the burning fuel.
- If stuck on the rail call your local law enforcement agency for assistance – Some crossings have railway emergency numbers prominently displayed or phone 0801112239 indicating the road between which towns, the level crossing number or the nearest mast pole number on electrified lines .
- At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching in either direction.
- Remember that regardless of what you drive, in a collision with a train, the train will always win.
For more information about railway crossing click here.