Railroad and School Zone Signs
Railroad crossings and school zones are the two places where a moment of inattention costs the most. The exam tests the sign sequence, the meaning of the crossbuck, and Idaho school-zone and school-bus rules.
Railroad signs and signals
- A round yellow sign with an X and RR is the advance warning; it tells you to slow and look.
- The white crossbuck marks the crossing and means yield to trains. If there is no gate or light, stop, look both ways, and listen before crossing.
- Flashing red lights mean stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the gate is fully raised. Never drive around a lowered gate.
- Do not stop on the tracks; wait until there is room on the far side.
- A train always has the right-of-way; its speed and distance are deceptive.
School zones
- Idaho school zones are 20 mph when posted or when the yellow lights flash; the limit is not a suggestion.
- Watch for children at the curb, between parked cars, and at crossing guards; stop for a guard's signal.
- Stop for a school bus with red lights flashing on an undivided road, whether you are behind it or approaching from the opposite direction. On a divided highway with a median, opposite-direction traffic does not stop.
Worked example
You approach a crossbuck with no lights or gate, and a train is visible a quarter mile away. The crossbuck means yield, but with a train that close, yielding means stopping well before the tracks and waiting. Proceeding because there was no red light is the error being tested.
Traps
Driving around a gate that is down or rising; passing a school bus with red lights on; assuming the 20 mph limit applies only when children are visible; stopping on the tracks in traffic.