Railroad Crossing With Flashing Lights and a Honking Driver
You are driving a 40-foot passenger bus with 30 passengers on a rural two-lane road in New Mexico. You approach a railroad-highway grade crossing with two tracks, flashing red lights, and no gates. The lights are flashing, but you cannot see a train in either direction because of a curve and brush. A pickup truck behind you is honking. The crossing has no exempt sign and no police officer or flagger is present. The road beyond the crossing has enough space for the entire bus to clear both tracks. Your schedule is tight, and a passenger asks why you are stopping when no train is visible.
1. What must you do at this crossing before proceeding?
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I must stop before the crossing, within 50 feet of the nearest rail but not closer than 15 feet, and I must not stop on the tracks. Even though no train is visible, the flashing red lights are an active warning, so I must not proceed while they are flashing. I would turn off the radio and fans, open the window, and look and listen in both directions. Because there are two tracks, I would check the second track separately after the first is clear; a train on the far track can be hidden by a train on the near track.
I would also confirm that there is enough space beyond the crossing for the entire bus to clear both tracks before I start across. The honking truck does not change the legal requirement or the risk. The passenger's question is a chance to explain briefly that the bus must stop at railroad crossings and that the lights are an active warning. The reasoning is that a passenger bus has poor acceleration and a long rear overhang, so being trapped on a track is especially dangerous; the stop and the space check are both part of clearing the crossing safely.
2. The lights stop flashing, but you still cannot see a train. The truck continues honking. Do you proceed?
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I would proceed only after the lights have stopped and I have made my own visual and auditory check. The end of the flashing lights is a signal that the warning has cleared, but it is not a guarantee that the track is clear, especially with a curve and brush limiting sight distance. I would look and listen again, check both tracks, and confirm the far side has room for the whole bus. I would not let the honking truck rush me; if I am not satisfied, I wait.
If the lights appear to be malfunctioning-for example, they continue flashing with no train for an unusual time, or they stop and restart erratically-I would treat the crossing as unsafe and report it to dispatch and local authorities. I would not cross on a guess. The reasoning is that the driver, not the motorist behind, is responsible for the bus and 30 passengers. A few seconds of delay is trivial compared with the consequence of a misjudgment at a crossing.
3. What would you do if the bus stalled with its rear end still on the tracks?
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I would evacuate immediately. I would set the parking brake if I can, shut off the engine, take the keys, and direct passengers out the front door and away from the tracks-preferably toward the direction from which the train would not come, and well clear of the crossing. I would not try to diagnose or restart the bus while people are on the tracks. I would call 911 and give the crossing location, and I would use any railroad emergency sign information if it is posted.
The reasoning is that a stalled bus on a track can be struck within seconds, and passengers are far safer away from the vehicle than inside it. I would account for passengers at the assembly point and keep them from returning to the bus. If a train is approaching, I would move people as far from the track as possible and not attempt to wave the train down. The priority order is evacuate, move away, call for help, then account for everyone.