Railroad Crossing Safety

After reading all of the material given to me and watching the additional videos, I learned a lot about railroad crossing safety. At first I did not know that this topic was an issue. But through reading and watching the information given to me related to this issue, I learned that it is definitely a danger to drivers and passengers who are involved. From the Utah 2014 Driver’s
Handbook it states, “As the number of driver’s increases, more and more people die at railroad crossings.” As seen in the statistics, the number of injuries caused by railroads is continuously growing. Even worse, it was also said in the handbook that the likelihood of surviving a wreck with a train is very low and people involved are likely to be seriously injured or
Never be in a rush around a train and make drastic decisions. No one should ever be in such a hurry that they feel the need to drive around the gates. The gates are used to protect people and are there for a reason. So never try to drive past another car or around the gates. This is very dangerous and quite ignorant. Instead of rushing and putting oneself in danger, they should leave slightly earlier when they know they might run into an oncoming train. Leaving earlier will reduce stress and result in more patience when faced with this situation.
The last main way to avoid injuries around railroads that was expressed in the information is to be educated. This means understanding the signs and lights that are around the railroad crossing that are meant to help and guide the driver. Although, these signs and lights are rendered useless if the driver does not understand them. Before the crossing, the pavement will have markings before the crossing that represent a crossing up ahead. Also a gate will come down in front of the car and flashing lights will signal to stop. While railroad crossings can be dangerous, all can be safe if they are patient, aware, and use common