When may a driver stop on railroad tracks?

1. If they are crossing and their car is not yet able to entirely clear the tracks.
2. If it doesn't sound like there are any trains nearby.
3. Never. ✓
4. If the gate is not lowered.

Answer: C. Never.

A driver may never stop on railroad tracks.

Why this is the answer

The Texas handbook states the rule flatly: never stop on the tracks. It also tells you to make sure the tracks are clear before you start across, since there may be more than one set of tracks and one train can hide another. If your car stalls on the tracks, the handbook says to get out and push it off if you can, get help if you cannot, and move away quickly if a train is coming. Being unable to hear a train or seeing raised gates does not change the rule.

Why the other answers are wrong

• A. If they are crossing and their car is not yet able to entirely clear the tracks. — This gets the rule backwards: you should check that the tracks are clear and that you can get all the way across before you start, rather than pulling onto them and stopping when you find you cannot clear.
• B. If it doesn't sound like there are any trains nearby. — The handbook warns that whistles and horns are hard to hear at crossings and tells you to roll windows down and turn the radio down, so quiet is never a reason to stop on the tracks.
• D. If the gate is not lowered. — Raised gates only mean you may cross when it is safe; the handbook still says never stop on the tracks, so the gate position gives no permission to halt there.

Remember it

Treat the tracks like a spot you may only pass over, never a spot to wait on, and check you can clear them before you start across.