Cars and Trains

A lesson in mature driving is knowing how to properly interact with railroad crossings.  A car was struck by a train in northwest Harris County Tuesday evening after the wheels got stuck on the tracks, according to Harris County Sheriff’s deputies.Deputies said a woman was driving her BMW across the train tracks on Root at Lenze around 9:15 p.m.She accidentally went off the edge of the tracks and her front wheels got stuck. She then noticed a train was approaching. She jumped out of her vehicle and began waving at the train to try and get it to stop, but it did not. The train hit the car and spun it around. No one was injured.

DefensiveDriving.com’s driver safety school covers some great safety tips in traffic laws and procedures at railroad crossings.   In a collision with a train, you are 40 times more likely to be killed than if you were in a collision with another car. In 2008, 222 people were killed in motor vehicles collisions with trains at highway-rail crossings, and over 400 people died after being hit by trains. Certain safety precautions can prevent these incidents:

Always expect a train; trains may run any time, day or night.

Approach the crossing as you would approach any intersection, being prepared to yield to the train.

Never drive around lowered gates; it’s illegal and deadly. Observe and obey flashing light signals.

Never race a train to a crossing; if you tie, you lose.

Don’t drive onto a crossing unless there is room to get off the other side; you may get “boxed in” by traffic.

If your vehicle stalls on a crossing, get out immediately and call the police for assistance.