When may you legally drive around or under a railroad crossing gate?
- Never. ✓
- When you can see clearly in both directions.
- When the warning lights are not flashing.
Answer: A. Never.
You may never drive around or under a railroad crossing gate.
Why this is the answer
The handbook is direct on this point: do not go under gates that are lowering or around gates that are already down. A gate is a physical barrier telling you a train is due, so good visibility in both directions does not give you permission to slip past it. The handbook also warns that many crossings have more than one track, so a clear look does not guarantee a second train is not coming. If the gate is down and no train appears, the handbook tells you to call the posted railroad emergency number or 911 rather than drive through.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. When you can see clearly in both directions. — Seeing clearly in both directions does not make it legal, because the handbook forbids going around or under the gate no matter how open the view is, and multiple tracks mean a second train can be hidden.
- C. When the warning lights are not flashing. — Waiting for the lights to stop flashing is a separate rule about the signals, and it never authorizes you to pass around or under the gate itself.
Remember it
Treat a lowered gate as a wall, not a suggestion: no clear view is wide enough to let you squeeze past it.