![]() ![]() ![]() The gate is made of a lightweight material that will yield when struck by a vehicle, thus providing an escape for a trapped motorist. Vehicles sometime get trapped on the crossing when the gate lowers behind them. Rail crossing gates serve to warn drivers, not as impenetrable barriers.Many factors, such as frequency and speed of rail traffic, motor vehicle traffic, and crossing collision history are considered when determining which crossings will be signalized. Once installed, the railroad maintains the crossing signal system. A typical installation can cost $400,000 or more. Funding for automatic warning devices often comes from limited public sources.When a crossing signal system is activated, a train is almost always in the approach circuits, but may be blocked from view. It is against the law to drive around lowered gates. If gates at the crossing are in the lowered position, drivers must not go around them. They cannot cross until the approaching locomotive or train has passed or until directed to do so by emergency personnel. Every motor vehicle operator is required by law to bring their car, truck or motorcycle to a full stop at a highway-rail grade crossing when warned of an approaching locomotive or train by flashing lights.The train engineer will not be able to stop the train by the time they see you. Stay off the tracks and don't try to flag down the train. The railroad dispatcher can reach the locomotive engineers by radio and they will do everything possible to stop approaching trains. You can also call 911and provide local police with the crossing location, which is generally the name of the road intersecting the tracks or the nearest town, and they will contact the railroad. Some crossings feature signs with a 1-800 number to use to call the railroad directly and warn them of stalled vehicles or other crossing problems. There are several numbers to call in order to get a train stopped or to report a malfunctioning crossing signal.In addition, the contact surface between a train's steel wheels and the steel rails is only the size of a dime! That results in very little friction created when compared to automobile tires on asphalt or concrete. The heavier the object, the longer the stopping distance. Traveling at the same speed, the average automobile can stop in only 200 feet. The average freight train, traveling at 55 MPH, takes anywhere from 1 to 1½ miles to stop. Trains have the right-of-way because they cannot quickly stop for a motorist at crossings or for trespassers on the tracks.At 30 MPH, it takes about two minutes to clear a crossing. If the train is traveling 50 to 60 MPH, it takes about a minute to clear a crossing. Many freight trains average a mile in length. Trains operate under rigid speed restrictions that are monitored very closely by the railroads and regulatory agencies.Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism. Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Zarse and Case were the 20th and 21st traffic deaths this year, according to ACCPD. 13 due to complications from injuries sustained in the crash, police said. The driver and passenger in that car suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while Case was taken to a hospital with a broken ankle. According to ACC police, Mary Case, 95, hit another car head-on Oct. Zarse, a native of Austin, TX, was a third-year marketing and public relations major and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.Īlso on Wednesday, another woman died eight days after being involved in a crash on West Broad Street near Sycamore Drive. Police later identified Gresham as the driver and issued warrants for his arrest on charges of first degree homicide by vehicle, hit and run involving serious injury or death, failure to obey traffic control device, too fast for conditions and driving while unlicensed. The driver fled the scene and abandoned the car on Berlin Street in East Athens. 9, a Honda Accord traveling west hit and killed Ariana Zarse, 20, as she was crossing East Broad Street near Foundry Street, where there is a yield sign at the railroad tracks and nearby crosswalk. Donterris Gresham, a 29-year-old Athens resident, turned himself into the Clarke County Jail on Wednesday after police issued warrants for his arrest in connection with a hit-and-run that killed a University of Georgia student. ![]()
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