New Hampshire driving lesson · Signs, Signals, and Markings
Railroad crossings
A 3-minute lesson from the New Hampshire course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Trains can't stop quickly or swerve. Railroad crossings are marked with signs, lights and signals, and NH sets exact stopping distances for when a train is coming. Some vehicles must stop at every crossing.
Round advance warning sign: RR crossing ahead
Know the rule
A round warning sign with an X and black "RR" letters is placed before a highway-railroad grade crossing: slow down or stop, and look and listen for a train before proceeding.
Don't cross until the lights stop flashing or the trains have passed. With more than one track, wait until you have a clear view of the tracks in both directions.
Buses carrying passengers and trucks carrying flammable or hazardous material must stop before any railroad crossing, even with no sign of a train. Be ready to stop behind them.
A freight train clears the crossing but the lights keep flashing, and there's a second track. Stay stopped until the lights stop and you can clearly see both tracks in both directions; a second train may be coming.
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.
When a train is approaching, how far from the nearest rail must a driver stop?
Not less than 5 feet, nor more than 20 feet
Not less than 15 feet, nor more than 50 feet
Not less than 25 feet, nor more than 75 feet
Not less than 10 feet, nor more than 30 feet
Answer: Not less than 15 feet, nor more than 50 feet
Drivers must stop 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail when a train is approaching.
