A 3-minute lesson from the Alaska course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
If your vehicle stalls or gets stuck on the tracks, seconds count. Get out first. Every crossing has a blue emergency sign with a number that reaches the railroad directly.
20 seconds
Minimum time it may take a train to reach the crossing once the warning lights activate
If you're on the tracks and the lights begin flashing: GET OUT. Run away from the tracks and the vehicle, toward the direction the train is coming from. Once clear, dial 911.
If you're stuck with no warning lights, or they haven't activated yet: get out, then call 911 and the ENS number on the crossing post or metal control box near the tracks.
A usually blue sign at every highway-rail crossing, on the crossbuck or nearby, with a 24/7/365 toll-free number answered by railroad dispatchers who can stop train traffic.
Your car stalls on the tracks and the crossing lights start flashing. Leave the car immediately and run away from both the tracks and the car, in the direction the train is coming from. Once you're clear, dial 911.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
About how many seconds is the minimum amount of time it takes a train to reach a grade crossing after warning lights activate?
5 seconds
60 seconds
2 minutes
20 seconds
Answer: 20 seconds
Twenty seconds is the minimal time it takes a train to reach the crossing once lights activate.