What to do at level crossings
When you are learning to drive you may well not come across a level crossing, depending where you live. But as a driver you certainly will come across level crossings and will need to know how to proceed safely when you encounter one.
There are various methods in which level crossings are controlled. Often there will be gates or barriers there and a lot of them have lights, but there are some where you must make the decision yourself to cross or stop.
Often a warning sign with a train will be displayed in advance and that tells you the level crossing you are approaching does not have a barrier or gate. There will also be a sign telling you there are lights, if there are lights.
When you see the lights for the crossing, look to see if they are on. If the lights are off, this tells you that there is no train coming, but before crossing still check just in case the lights are broken.
You will notice there are two red lights at the top and an amber one underneath. A steady amber light means you should stop unless it is unsafe to do so - just light on a normal traffic light.
Flashing red lights indicate that it is not safe to cross as the train is coming and therefore you must stop. Note that if a train passes you but the lights stay flashing, don't get impatient - there must be another train coming. Often on a line, for whatever reason, trains going in different directions may arrive at roughly the same time followed by a large gap, so you should just be patient and wait.
Related Articles...
Hazard Perception
There has been a significant increase in the focus of hazard perception and hazard awareness in the last few years since the introduction by the DSA of a separate hazard perception element to the...
Online Driving Theory
Why use an online driving theory website when there are also some books in publication that will help you study for your theory test? Well, there are several advantages to online driving theory,...
Driving Theory
Practice makes perfect. It is a known fact that if you practice a particular skill, you get better at it. This is true of mental skills such as performing mental arithmetic: the more you try to do...
How hazard perception scoring works
For each hazard there is a possible score of zero to five that is available. With a total of 15 hazards to find that makes a total possible score of 75 being available on the hazard test.
The...
The ABC of dealing with casualties
The ABC refers to how to treat casualties if you are involved in an accident but not injured, or indeed if you are at the scene where an accident occurs.
The A refers to the word airway. This...
Insurance for learner drivers
If you wish to learn to drive and you ever plan to use a private car then
you need to ensure the car you are going to use has the appropriate cover.
There are various levels of cover, the...
Cost of a driving theory test
If you are learning to drive a car in the UK, then there is not just the practical test to think about.
You must also pass a theory test in order to be able to take the driving practical test...
Tips on driving in half light
Most drivers prefer driving in the day in good light in optimum road conditions, because these are the best conditions in which to see exactly what is going on in the road.
However there are...
Road Tax Disc Explained
You might hear to this referred as to something called excise licence, but in common parlance (speech!) this is called road tax.
And you will have a circular piece of paper that comes to show...
Road conditions: driving in rain
Driving in rain is something that you can be sure you will experience regularly once you are an actual driver, although depending where you live and the time of year you learnt, you might have...
Back to home page of driving theory test questions
