Sharing the road
Which vehicles are required to stop before crossing railroad tracks, even when no train is in sight?
- Buses, school buses, and vehicles displaying a hazardous materials placard. Correct answer
- Only school buses carrying children.
- All vehicles, at every crossing.
Why
Most drivers only stop at a railroad crossing when the signals or gates tell them to, but some vehicles must stop every time: buses, school buses and trucks carrying hazardous loads, identified by the diamond-shaped placard on the vehicle. The reason is what they carry, people or dangerous cargo, so an empty school bus is still a bus. When you follow one of these vehicles toward a crossing, expect it to stop even if the tracks look clear, and leave room so you are not caught behind it on the tracks. For everyone else the rule is: stop when the red lights flash, stay at least 15 feet from the nearest track, and never drive around lowered gates.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is Buses, school buses, and vehicles displaying a hazardous materials placard..
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Near Railroad or Light Rail Tracks , page 52
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Sharing the Road › Vehicles with Hazardous Loads , page 50
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Near Railroad or Light Rail Tracks , page 51
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Near Railroad or Light Rail Tracks , page 52