New Stopping Requirements at Railroad Crossings

The primary responsibility of the Utilities and Transportation Commission’s (UTC) Rail Safety program is to make sure that grade crossings, where roads and highways cross railroad tracks, are as safe as possible.

On June 10, 2010, a new law went into effect requiring all commercial motor vehicles transporting passengers or hazardous materials to stop at all highway-railroad grade crossings, with few exceptions (listed below). Drivers are required to stop, listen and look for approaching trains and signals indicating the approach of a train before proceeding. This is a change from the previous law which only required commercial motor vehicles to stop at grade crossings that were not protected by automatic signals.

Exceptions

The primary reason for the new law is to make Washington State law consistent with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) relating to commercial motor vehicle operators. Both state law and the CFR contain some exceptions to the stopping requirements. The law does not apply to any railroad crossing where:

• The UTC has approved the installation of an “exempt” sign.
• Traffic is controlled by a police officer or flagger.
• A functioning traffic control signal is transmitting a green light.
• The tracks are used exclusively for a streetcar or industrial switching purposes.
• The crossing is abandoned and is marked with a sign indicating it is out of service.
• The Washington State Patrol has, by rule, identified a crossing where stopping is not required.
• The Superintendent of Public Instruction has, by rule, identified a circumstance under which a school bus or private carrier bus carrying any school child or other passenger is not required to stop.