When approaching railroad tracks, you should:
- Look, listen, slow down, and be prepared to stop. ✓
- Speed up to cross the tracks before the gate is lowered.
- Try to drive around a lowered gate.
- Not pay attention to how many tracks there are to cross.
Answer: A. Look, listen, slow down, and be prepared to stop.
When approaching railroad tracks, you should look and listen, slow down, and be prepared to stop.
Why this is the answer
The Florida handbook says to slow down at railroad crossings and be ready to stop. It also says to make sure every track is clear before crossing and to yield to trains, since trains often move faster than they appear and cannot stop quickly. Those directions support a careful approach where you check for a train and keep your vehicle able to stop, rather than trying to get across before warning signals or gates activate.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Speed up to cross the tracks before the gate is lowered. — Speeding up to cross before a gate lowers goes against the handbook's warning not to try to beat a train and its instruction to stop when lights flash before the gate lowers.
- C. Try to drive around a lowered gate. — Driving around a lowered gate is specifically against the law in the handbook.
- D. Not pay attention to how many tracks there are to cross. — Ignoring how many tracks there are is wrong because the handbook says to make sure all tracks are clear before crossing when there is more than one.
Remember it
Treat every crossing as a place to slow, check, and keep your foot ready for the brake.