Railway crossings and level crossings

What makes a railway crossing so special is the fact that the trains are unable to swerve (they can have a braking distance of 1 km) while being much larger than a car and driving at a much greater speed.

You are always obligated to give way to trains. This applies even if the lights are not flashing red.

A collision with a train is so serious that the lawmakers never want you to feel completely safe when crossing a railway. You must always be on high alert and all responsibility lies with you.

Level crossing is another word for railway crossing.

Distance to railway crossing

First you see the sign with 3 bars, then the sign with 2 bars and finally the sign with 1 bar.

How to safely cross a railway

1. Get an idea of the visibility
   Do you have a free line of sight already at a distance? Or are there trees and buildings blocking your view?
2. Adapt your speed to the visibility
   If you have good visibility, you may not need to slow down at all. In case of poor visibility, you should be prepared to stop.
3. Crossing
   • Good visibility
     Look both ways in good time before reaching the crossing and go over at the same speed. However, remember that the tracks are uneven, so if you are driving faster than 70 km/h, you should still slow down.
   • Limited visibility
     Slow down, shift to a lower gear (get more power to the engine and avoid stalling), look both ways and then cross. It is recommended to accelerate as you drive across.
   • Poor visibility
     Stop before the crossing, look both ways and then drive across. Put the car in 1st gear and only shift up once the car is completely on the other side (to avoid stalling and other complications).

Stalling on the track

If the engine stalls on the track, you must move the car immediately. If the engine will start, you can just keep driving. The gates are made from a thin material that you can drive through.

If the car does not start, try this:

• Manual transmission: Release the clutch and turn the key as far as you can in the ignition and keep it there. This will make the starter motor push the car forwards. Note that this does not work on all cars!
• Automatic transmission or unresponsive car: Go out and push the car. Remember to put the transmission in neutral.

If you are unable to move the car, call 112 to inform them of the situation.

Overtaking at a railway crossing

Overtaking in conjunction with a railway crossing is prohibited, except where one (or both) of the following exist:

• Gates.
• Traffic signal (red, amber and green).

The prohibition does not apply when overtaking two-wheeled vehicles.

Overtaking table

Right type of signal

Different types of gates

The gates are often opened before the lights stop flashing. Note however that you may not drive on before the lights stop flashing red.

Full barrier

Half barrier

Theory test with video questions

Free demo – try the questions