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Pennsylvania driving lesson · Sharing the Road

Work zones and railroad crossings

A 4-minute lesson from the Pennsylvania course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Sharing the Road
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
58, 59, 83, 98

Work zones and railroad crossings both punish impatience. In work zones, the most common crash is rear-ending the car ahead. At crossings, familiar tracks where you rarely see a train can be the most dangerous. Slow down, leave space and never gamble.

Know the rule

Work zones are marked with orange cones and other temporary devices and may have flaggers in reflective clothing. Moving operations such as line painting or mowing may use shadow vehicles; don't pass a moving operation unless directed to.

Handbook p. 58 ↗
200 feet

Minimum distance before a work zone at which warning signs, advance warning vehicles or message boards may be placed

Handbook p. 58 ↗

Know the rule

Yield to workers and construction vehicles. Use your headlights, not just daytime running lights. Fines are doubled for certain violations in active work zones, including speeding, and some violations bring a license suspension.

Handbook p. 58 ↗

Work zone safety rules

  • Plan your trip; an alternate route may avoid delays (check www.511PA.com before leaving)
  • Don't use cruise control
  • Double your following distance; rear-end crashes are the most common
  • Change lanes as soon as a message says your lane is closed ahead
  • Don't cross a solid white line in a work zone; stay in your lane
  • Keep moving at a safe speed; don't slow or stop to watch the work or to ask workers for directions
  • Obey flaggers: their authority overrides traffic control devices, and they can report you
Handbook p. 58 ↗
About 40,000

People injured or killed yearly in U.S. work zone crashes; carelessness and speeding are the main causes

Handbook p. 58 ↗

Know the rule

511PA gives free 24-hour traffic, weather and travel information by calling 511 or at www.511PA.com. Don't call it while driving; pull off safely or check before you leave.

Handbook p. 98 ↗

Know the rule

Most railroad crossings have only an advance warning sign and a crossbuck, not gates. Familiar crossings with little train traffic can be the most dangerous because you stop expecting trains.

Handbook p. 59 ↗

At railroad crossings

  • Look left, right and left again, even at an active crossing whose signals aren't flashing
  • With more than one track, wait until you can see clearly down both tracks
  • With one track, check again for another train before starting across
  • Never pass another vehicle approaching or entering a crossing
  • Don't blindly follow others; be sure there's room to get all the way across
  • Trapped with a train coming? Get out quickly and move far away from the tracks
Handbook p. 59 ↗
40 times

How much more likely you are to die in a crash with a train than in a crash with another vehicle

Handbook p. 59 ↗

Know the rule

Failing to comply with a railroad crossing gate or barrier brings a 30-day license suspension.

Handbook p. 83 ↗

Put it into practice

A freight train clears a two-track crossing and the car ahead immediately starts across. Wait until you can see clearly down both tracks; a second train may be hidden behind the first.

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.

Warning signs, advance warning vehicles, or message boards for a work zone must be placed at least how far in advance?
  1. 50 feet
  2. 200 feet
  3. 500 feet
  4. 1,000 feet

Answer: 200 feet

Work zone warnings must be placed a minimum of 200 feet before the zone.

Handbook p. 58 ↗
What is the most common crash type in work zones?
  1. Head-on collisions
  2. Rollovers
  3. Rear-end crashes
  4. Sideswipes

Answer: Rear-end crashes

Rear-end collisions are the most common crash type in work zones, which is why following distance should double.

Handbook p. 58 ↗
What should you avoid using while driving through a work zone?
  1. Your turn signals
  2. Your headlights
  3. Your hazard flashers
  4. Cruise control

Answer: Cruise control

Cruise control should not be used in work zones since speeds and conditions change quickly.

Handbook p. 58 ↗
At a railroad crossing with more than one track, after a train passes, what should you do?
  1. Cross immediately since the gate has lifted
  2. Wait until you can see down both tracks
  3. Wait exactly 10 seconds before crossing
  4. Proceed only if another car goes first

Answer: Wait until you can see down both tracks

With multiple tracks, wait for a clear view of both before crossing, since another train could be coming.

Handbook p. 59 ↗
How much more likely are you to die in a crash involving a train compared to a crash with another vehicle?
  1. 5 times more likely
  2. 2 times more likely
  3. 40 times more likely
  4. 100 times more likely

Answer: 40 times more likely

The handbook states you are 40 times more likely to die in a train collision than a vehicle crash.

Handbook p. 59 ↗
What should you do immediately if you become trapped on railroad tracks with a train approaching?
  1. Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt on
  2. Try to push the vehicle off the tracks
  3. Rev the engine to force it across
  4. Get out fast and move away

Answer: Get out fast and move away

You should immediately exit the vehicle and move far away from the tracks if trapped with a train coming.

Handbook p. 59 ↗
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More in Sharing the Road

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