Drivers who Break RR Crossing Laws Exasperating, Traffic Sergeant Says

If patience is a virtue, some Plainfield commuters found themselves in short supply Tuesday afternoon and may soon be forking over fines as high as $750 because of it.

Making the rush-hour drive from Interstate 55 to Route 59 on Route 126 is no picnic, but neither is it license to ignore the Rules of the Road, especially when it comes to how you deal with railroad crossings, Sgt. Eric Munson said.

Yet every time he conducts a , such as the one that took place Tuesday at the crossing between Center Street and Bartlett Avenue, police never fail to nab drivers who stop too close to or on top of the tracks or commit other crossing violations.  

Munson said he finds it exasperating, especially since it's impatience more than ignorance of the law that prompts drivers to ignore crossing laws. 

And drivers who see the red lights and black-and-white crossing arms, yet still cross over the white pavement lines showing them where to stop, are flirting with disaster.

“You need up to six feet of clearance for the wide loads,” Munson said. “Driver’s don’t realize they can still get hit if they are too close to the tracks.”

This week, Plainfield police, along with the Canadian National, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad police, are conducting enforcement details at railroad crossings in the village.

During the details, officers cite drivers who disobey railroad signals or stop within the crossing area as well as school bus and commercial vehicle drivers who fail to stop as required. Even pedestrians who trespass on railroad rights-of-way are ticketed or given warnings.

According to a Plainfield Police Department press release, it is not only against the law to stop a vehicle on the railroad tracks but to stop anywhere within the highway-rail grade crossing, which is either marked by white stop lines on the pavement or measured from gate-arm to gate-arm.

Drivers of passenger vehicles who are convicted of stopping within a highway rail-grade crossing may have their driver’s licenses suspended for 30 days for the first offense and three months for the second offense. Drivers of commercial vehicles that are required to stop at all railroad crossings could have their commercial licenses suspended for three months.

Violations require a mandatory court appearance with fines up to $750.

Operation Livesaver (www.oli.org), a national nonprofit public information program dedicated to reducing collisions, injuries and fatalities at highway-rail crossings, offers the following safety tips:

• Trains and cars don't mix. Never race a train to the crossing — even if you tie, you lose.
• The train you see is closer and moving faster than you think. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by before you proceed across the tracks.
• Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a freight train moving at 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to stop once the emergency brakes are applied. That's 18 football fields.
• Never drive around lowered gates — it's illegal and deadly. If you suspect a signal is malfunctioning, call the 1-800 number posted on or near the crossing signal or your local law enforcement agency.
• Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
• If your vehicle ever stalls on a track with a train coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming. If you run in the same direction the train is traveling, when the train hits your car you could be injured by flying debris. Call your local law enforcement agency for assistance.
• At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching from either direction.
• When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping. Remember it isn't safe to stop closer than 15 feet from a rail.
• Always expect a train. Freight trains do not follow set schedules.