You’d might think it’s easy to avoid an accident with a train. However, in 2018, over 2,000 accidents occurred at railroad crossings. Therefore, it’s always important to be cautious when approaching one of these crossings…
Railroad Crossings: Look & Listen
Slow down and be aware
When you approach railroad crossings, you don’t want to just speed through them without a second thought. Rather, you should always treat them like a train is coming. While we like to imagine we’d hear them coming, loud music or other distractions can block their approach.
Plus, while crossings have safety arms, there’s always the chance of malfunction. As a result, you should always slow down and look when coming up on a crossing. That way, you can always ensure the way is clear before passing through.
Respect the safety arms
Railroad crossings make use of safety arms for two reasons. First, they give a visual and audio indication that a train is coming. Secondly, they try to prevent you from driving through the crossing when it isn’t safe. However, what happens if the arms go down but a train doesn’t seem to be coming?
Some people might be tempted to try and go through or around the crossing. Of course, this is very dangerous. Many accidents occur because people try to go around, only for a train to finally appear. Instead, if you don’t want to wait it out, turn around and find a new route.
Know how to handle emergencies
The main type of emergency that happens at railroad crossings is when a car stalls on the track. If your car stalls, don’t stay in it or try to push it off. Rather, you should get out of your car and off the tracks. You’ll also want to head down towards where the train is coming from; going away from it could result in you getting hit by debris.
If you see a car on the tracks, or if your car is there but no train is coming, then you need to alert the proper people. Generally, you can call 911 and let them know. You can also call the emergency number on the signs by the crossing. This will let operators know where the car is, and alert the train conductors.