Safety Tips

Highway-Rail Grade Crossings - Seven Steps for Safety

• 1. Approach crossing with care. Slow down when you see an Advanced Warning Sign.
• 2. Prepare to stop. Turn off fans and radio, roll down windows.
  Look and listen for a train.
• 3. Stop at least 15 feet from nearest rail, but not more than 50 feet, if you see a train.
• 4. If it won’t fit, don’t commit. Trains extend beyond the width of the rails at least 3 feet on each side. If your vehicle has a trailer, remember the additional length.
• 5. Double check, back left and right. Before you move look in both directions.
• 6. Cross tracks with care. If your vehicle has a manual transmission, use a gear that will not require shifting until you reach the opposite side.
• 7. Keep going once you start, even if lights start to flash or gates come down.
  

What to do if your vehicle stalls or hangs up on the tracks:

• 1. Get out immediately - evacuate your vehicle. (Trains traveling at 60 mph may take a mile or more to stop.)
• 2. Move away at once. Walk in the direction of the oncoming train, and away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle. (If your vehicle is hit, debris will spread out from the tracks in the same direction the train is moving.)
• 3. Locate the emergency phone number. When you are safely away from the tracks, find the railroad’s emergency phone number and the DOT identification number posted near the crossing, and call local law enforcement or 911.

Pedestrian Rail Safety Tips

• Trains can move in either direction at any time. Trains are sometimes pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled. This is especially true in commuter and light rail passenger service.
  
• Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no telltale "clackety-clack." Also, an approaching train will always be closer and moving faster than you think.
  
• Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. Observe and obey all warning signs and signals.
• Never walk down a train track; it's illegal and it's dangerous. By the time a locomotive engineer can see a trespasser or a vehicle on the tracks, it is too late. The train cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.
• Remember: Rail and recreation do not mix!
  

Know Your Rail Signs & Signals

Signs, lights and street markings: learn what they all mean.

Request a Free Presentation

Contact the Operation Lifesaver Coordinator in your state to schedule a free highway-rail safety presentation. Certified Presenters are available to speak in school classrooms, to scout groups and community service groups, for company safety programs, and to driver education students.

Become a Presenter

Please also consider joining the 3,000 volunteers across the country who have been trained to deliver Operation Lifesaver's safety message.  For more information on how you can become an Operation Lifesaver Presenter, call Operation Lifesaver, Inc. at 1-800-537-6224 or contact your State Coordinator.