School Bus at a Passive Two-Track Crossing
You drive a 40-foot Type C school bus with 38 middle-school students on a two-lane road in Anacostia. At 2:45 p.m., you approach a passive railroad crossing with a stop sign, no gates, and flashing lights that begin to activate when your front bumper is 75 feet from the nearest rail. Your speed is 25 mph, the road is wet, and the bus is loaded. The crossing has two tracks; a train horn sounds from the right. A car is 30 feet behind you. A parked box truck blocks your view of the second track. The stop arm is retracted, and your routine crossing stop would place the bumper 20 feet from the rail. You have already opened the door and turned off the radio. What do you do?
1. Estimate whether you can stop before the near rail at 25 mph, and state your decision.
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At 25 mph, you are traveling about 37 ft per second. With a 1.5-second perception/reaction time, you cover about 55 ft before the brakes apply. On wet pavement, a loaded bus may need another 60-80 ft to stop, for a total of roughly 115-135 ft. You are only 75 ft from the nearest rail, so a stop is unlikely to leave you clear of the tracks; a panic stop could leave the bus straddling the near rail.
Since you are not yet on the crossing, the safer choice is to keep moving across if the path is clear, without stopping on the tracks. Do not accelerate blindly; check the second track as soon as the box truck no longer blocks your view. If the train is already visible and too close, stop short of the rail only if you can do so without stopping on the tracks; otherwise clear the crossing and stop on the far side.
2. What is the correct routine school-bus crossing stop and observation sequence?
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If the lights had not activated, stop 15 to 50 ft before the nearest rail, open the service door, turn off noisy equipment, and look and listen in both directions. After the first track is clear, check the second track; do not rely on the first look because a second train can approach.
Close the door before crossing and proceed without stopping on the tracks. Your planned stop at 20 ft is within the legal 15-50 ft range, but only if you can reach it without fouling the crossing. With lights activating at 75 ft, the decision changes from a routine stop to a clearance decision.
3. If the bus stalls on the crossing, what should you do with the students?
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Get the students out immediately. Open the service door or emergency exit, direct them to move away from the tracks at least 100 ft, and keep them together. Do not try to restart the bus if a train is coming. Call 911 and, if possible, use the railroad emergency number posted at the crossing.
If a train is approaching, move away at an angle, not parallel to the tracks. Account for all students and keep them off the roadway. Notify dispatch and school officials. Do not let students return for belongings.