Railroad Crossing With a Flashing Signal and a Stalled Truck
You are westbound on a two-lane road at 50 mph approaching a passive-then-active railroad crossing. You see the round yellow advance warning sign with an 'RXR' symbol and a downward-pointing arrow plaque, then a crossbuck, then red lights begin flashing on the signal mast. There is no gate at this crossing. A box truck ahead of you has stopped with its rear end still on the tracks, and its driver is out of the cab waving at you. The crossing surface is rough and slightly humped. A train horn sounds from the right, but you cannot see the train because of a line of trees.
1. What do the advance warning sign and the flashing red lights each require, and what should you do about the truck?
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The round yellow advance warning sign with the RXR symbol warns of a crossing ahead and is usually paired with a distance plaque or arrow telling you how far. The crossbuck marks the crossing itself and means yield to trains. Flashing red lights at a crossing mean stop: they are an active warning that a train is approaching, and they outrank any assumption that the crossing is clear. The box truck stopped on the tracks is an emergency. You should stop well short of the crossing, not pull up behind the truck where you would also be trapped, and you should not drive around the truck onto the tracks. The horn plus the flashing lights mean a train is coming; the trees blocking your view make the situation more dangerous, not less. The right move is to stop clear of the tracks, put on hazard lights, and call 911 or the emergency number posted at the crossing, while warning others.
2. If the truck had cleared and the lights were still flashing with no train visible, would you proceed? Explain your reasoning.
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No. Flashing red lights at a railroad crossing are not advisory; they mean stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the crossing is clear. 'No train visible' is not evidence of no train, especially with trees blocking sight lines and a horn audible. Trains can be moving faster than they appear and cannot stop for you. The correct behavior is to wait, keep your vehicle clear of the tracks, and ensure the vehicle ahead has fully cleared before you begin to cross. If the lights malfunction and never stop, you would treat it as a signal failure, stop, and find an alternate route or follow instructions from law enforcement rather than guessing.