Always stop before you cross railroad tracks when:
- You don't have room on the other side to completely cross the tracks. ✓
- The railroad crossing is located in a city or town that has frequent train traffic.
- You transport two or more young children in a passenger vehicle.
Answer: A. You don't have room on the other side to completely cross the tracks.
Always stop before crossing railroad tracks when you do not have enough room on the far side to clear the tracks completely.
Why this is the answer
The handbook tells you never to stop on railroad tracks. If traffic ahead is backed up so that your car would end up sitting on the rails, wait before the crossing and do not start across until there is room for your whole vehicle on the other side. The handbook adds that being on the tracks puts you at risk of injury or death. So the deciding factor is space on the far side, not where the crossing is or who is riding with you.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. The railroad crossing is located in a city or town that has frequent train traffic. — Nothing in the handbook makes a crossing in a city or town with heavy train traffic a place where you must always stop; the rule turns on whether you can clear the tracks, not on how busy the area is.
- C. You transport two or more young children in a passenger vehicle. — Carrying two or more young children is not a reason the handbook gives for stopping before tracks; the passages list only buses, school buses, and vehicles with hazardous materials placards as vehicles that must stop.
Remember it
Ask yourself one question before you roll onto the rails: will my entire car fit on the far side right now?