What is the appropriate action to take when approaching a railroad crossing that does not have signals to direct traffic?
- Always bring the car to a complete stop.
- Slow down and be prepared to stop. ✓
- All railroad crossings have signals so you will never encounter this situation.
- Increase your speed to get across the tracks quickly.
Answer: B. Slow down and be prepared to stop.
Slow down and be prepared to stop as you approach a railroad crossing with no signals.
Why this is the answer
The Texas handbook describes the round railroad crossing sign: it tells you that you are within a few hundred feet of the tracks, so you should slow down and be ready to stop. If you see a train coming, you stop and you never try to beat it. The handbook lists the specific situations that call for a full stop between 15 and 50 feet of the nearest rail, such as a warning signal, a lowered gate, a flag person, or a train that is visible and close. When none of those exist, slowing and staying ready to stop is the right move.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Always bring the car to a complete stop. — A full stop is required only in the situations the handbook lists, such as a warning signal, a lowered gate, a flag person, or a train that is visible and close, so stopping every time is more than the rule asks.
- C. All railroad crossings have signals so you will never encounter this situation. — The handbook gives instructions for crossings with warning signs and describes what to do when a signal, gate, or train is present, so it does not say that every crossing is equipped with signals.
- D. Increase your speed to get across the tracks quickly. — Speeding up to cross contradicts the handbook's warning to slow down near the tracks and its instruction never to try to beat a train.
Remember it
Think of the round crossing sign as a warning to ease off the gas and keep your foot ready for the brake, not as a green light to rush across.