When a motorcycle rider approaches a railway crossing and the signal lights are flashing, what should s/he do?
- Stop 5 metres away from the nearest track. ✓
- Cross the rail track with a speed of 80 km/h.
- Stop 12 metres from the farthest track.
- Stop the motorcycle 15 metres away from the nearest track.
Answer: A. Stop 5 metres away from the nearest track.
Stop at least five metres from the nearest rail or gate and wait until the flashing lights stop before crossing.
Why this is the answer
The motorcycle handbook says that when a train is coming, you should stop at least five metres from the nearest rail or gate. At a crossing with signal lights, you wait until the lights stop flashing; if there is a gate or barrier, you wait until it rises. You should not cross until you are sure the train or trains have passed. That matches stopping five metres back from the nearest track and waiting rather than moving across while the signals are active.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Cross the rail track with a speed of 80 km/h. — Choosing to cross at 80 km/h conflicts with the handbook's instruction to wait until the signal lights stop flashing and to never race a train to a crossing.
- C. Stop 12 metres from the farthest track. — The handbook measures the stopping distance from the nearest rail or gate, not from the farthest track, so stopping 12 metres from the farthest track is not the rule given.
- D. Stop the motorcycle 15 metres away from the nearest track. — The handbook gives at least five metres as the stopping distance from the nearest rail or gate, so fifteen metres is not the distance it states.
Remember it
Five metres from the nearest rail, and wait for the lights to stop flashing.