School Bus Driver Inservice TITLE OF LESSON: RAIL GRADE CROSSINGS Objectives of Lesson: At the end of this lesson the student will:

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1 School Bus Driver Inservice TITLE OF LESSON: RAIL GRADE CROSSINGS Objectives of Lesson: At the end of this lesson the student will: 1. Describe the six requirements as defined in WAC that apply to drivers of school buses during rail grade crossings. 2. Describe the five exceptions as defined in WAC that apply to drivers of school buses for stopping at rail grade crossings. 3. Name two consequences for failing to stop at a rail grade crossing. 4. Name two types of challenging rail grade crossing configurations. 5. Describe how to use the containment area safely. 6. Name two types of light rail transit. Equipment for Lesson: Overhead screen projector, computer for Power Point. TRAINER NOTE: Handouts 1 and 2 should be given to class before you start. Introduction: S-1 Bus drivers across the State of Washington vary in their experience and exposure to rail grade crossings. It is important to remember the basic requirements of WAC that apply to all school bus drivers. Today we will learn about the six requirements and five exceptions S-2 to stopping at a rail grade crossing. It is also important to understand the consequences for failing to stop at a rail grade crossing. You may seldom cross a rail grade or you may face challenging rail grades every day. It is important to be aware of different challenging configurations and potentially dangerous containment areas around rail grade crossings. For the Driver 1

2 We also hope to take some mystery out of light rail vehicles but first let s watch a short video that has been recently produced by Operation Life Saver for the public and includes some great train facts. Video TRAINER NOTE: Play Video: See Tracks? Think Train! 8 min. ASK: What information do you think is most valuable about this video? It is good to know what is expected of the general public, however, school bus drivers have a lot more to consider. Presentation: I. Rail Grade Crossing Requirements S-3 First, we will talk about all six rail grade crossing requirements that school bus drivers must follow, and then we will discuss the exceptions to the rules. You are encouraged to start taking notes on question #1 of your handout titled Rail Grade Crossing Evaluation. A. Stop at all crossings. On approach: S-4 Check for trains, Check for traffic in all directions and Perform mirror check. B. Activate simultaneously flashing amber hazard lamps within 200 feet prior to reaching the tracks. Slow down, brake smoothly. Change gears before reaching the tracks. If applicable, position vehicle in the right-most lane. Stop within feet of nearest track. C. Open the door and driver window to listen for approaching S-5 trains. Look left Look right Listen For the Driver 2

3 D. Reduce noise Quiet students while listening for approaching trains. Turn off all noise making devices. E. Do not proceed until the S-6 Door is closed, Visibility is clear, and Safely proceed across and completely clear the rail grade. F. Do not change gears if the bus is equipped with a manual transmission while the bus is crossing a rail grade. Accelerate smoothly and Cancel simultaneously flashing amber hazard lamps after clearing tracks. Evaluation: H-1 Please look at your evaluation sheet and review your notes before we answer the first question. (1.) Describe the six requirements that apply to drivers of school S-7 buses during rail grade crossings as defined in WAC Answer: S-8 1. Stop at all crossings (with five exceptions). 2. Use simultaneously flashing amber hazard lamps within two hundred feet prior to stopping. 3. Open the door and driver window to listen for approaching trains. 4. Reduce noise and quiet students while listening for approaching trains. 5. Do not proceed until the door is closed, visibility is clear, and the school bus can safely proceed across and completely clear the rail grade. 6. Do not change gears. You may begin taking notes on question #2 of your evaluation sheet as we continue. For the Driver 3

4 TRAINER NOTE: Work with your transportation administrator before you present this next section to clearly identify your school district policy or procedures and include those where indicated. II. There are Five Exceptions Where You MAY NOT Be S-9 Required to Stop at a Rail Grade Crossing: A. The crossing is controlled by a police officer or flagger; S-10 B. The control signal transmitting a green light; S Not all intersection lights are synchronized with train activity. 2. Treat each crossing as a unique situation. 3. Know your district policy. Some districts require drivers to stop in all cases. C. Tracks used exclusively for a streetcar or industrial S-12 switching purposes. 1. A street car is a public vehicle operated on rails along a regular route, usually through the streets of a city, operated by electricity. 2. A switching area is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. D. Where the utilities and transportation commission has S-13 approved the installation of an Exempt Sign. EXEMPT signs can be located on: 1. A sign (below the advance warning sign) with yellow background and black letters that says EXEMPT. 2. A sign (below the cross buck) with white background and black letters that says EXEMPT. a. An EXEMPT sign means that the crossing has been abandoned or its use discontinued. Follow your district procedures about stopping. b. Know your district policy or procedure. E. Out-of-Service S An OUT-OF-SERVICE sign may be posted at a crossing that has been abandoned or its use discontinued. 2. Follow your district procedures about stopping. For the Driver 4

5 Evaluation Please look at your evaluation sheet and take a few minutes to answer the second question. (2.) Describe the five exceptions for stopping at rail grade crossings. S-15 Answer: 1. Controlled by a police officer or flagger 2. Control signal transmitting a green light 3. Tracks used exclusively for a streetcar or industrial switching 4. Exempt Sign 5. Out-of-Service sign TRAINER NOTE: Allow drivers time to locate the handout, and then allow time to locate the specific code. Now please take a look at your handout titled H-2 Rail Grade Crossing Rules We just talked about WAC which contains the transportation operation rules for school bus drivers. III. Ticket for Failure to Stop S-16 On the same handout (H-2) on page 1, find RCW H-2 A. RCW is the actual consequence for not making proper stops at rail grade crossings. Please take a few minutes to read this code silently. There is also a summary of those laws in the Washington Commercial Driver s Guide (R/9/14): A driver can receive a ticket for any of the six traffic violations at a railroad-highway grade crossing. These violations include: 1. Failing to slow down and check that the tracks are clear of an approaching train, even if you are not required to stop 2. Failing to stop before reaching the crossing if the tracks are not clear, even if you are not always required to stop For the Driver 5

6 3. Failing to stop before driving onto the crossing when you are always required to stop 4. Failing to drive completely over the crossing because you did not stop when there was too little space to finish the crossing 5. Failing to obey crossing arms or signals, a traffic control device, or the directions of a police officer at a crossing 6. Failing to clear the crossing because of too little undercarriage clearance B. A school bus driver receiving a ticket for failing to make a proper stop at a rail grade crossing will lose their CDL for at least 60 days for the first violation. 1. Please notice this in your handout on page 2, RCW (b)(i). 2. You may want to make a note of this on your evaluation. C. A CDL suspension automatically disqualifies you as a school bus driver. 1. Refer to WAC in your handout on page 2. H-2 2. There are actually eight disqualifying conditions. Your handout provides the first two for our discussion today. 3. Notice you will lose your bus driver authorization for five years if your license is suspended. Evaluation Please look at your evaluation sheet and take a few minutes to answer the third question. (3.) Name two consequences for failing to make a required stop at a S-17 rail grade crossing. Answer: 1. CDL will be suspended for 60 days after the first offense. 2. Authorization will be suspended for 5 years. For the Driver 6

7 TRAINER NOTE: You are encouraged to add your own local challenging crossings to the following section. Each situation will need driver participation for discussion. Look for: Where to stop? Line of sight or visibility? Hazards? IV. Challenging Rail Grade Configurations S-18 ASK: What would the challenges be for a driver with the following configurations? A. Sharp angles S-19 B. Intersections S-20 C. Making left hand turns S-21 D. Containment areas S-22 Evaluation Please look at your evaluation sheet and take a few minutes to answer the fourth question. (4.) Name two different types of challenging rail grade crossing S-23 configurations. Answer: 1. Sharp angles 2. Containment areas 3. Intersections 4. Making left hand turns Now you may start taking some notes on question #5. V. Containment Area S-24 The containment area is the space necessary to completely clear the tracks after you cross them. A. Know length of bus. S-25 B. Know size of containment area. C. Observe amount of room opposite of tracks at intersections with signal lights or stop signs. Be certain you have enough room to stop. For the Driver 7

8 D. Add 15 feet to the length of a school bus. Remember, the train will be 3 feet wider than the rails on both sides. If you don t have enough room - don t start across. Evaluation Please look at your evaluation sheet and take a few minutes to answer the fifth question. (5.) Describe how to use the containment area safely. S-26 Answer: 1. Know length of bus 2. Know size of containment area 3. Observe amount of room opposite of tracks at intersections with signal lights or stop signs. Be certain you have enough room to stop. 4. Add 15 feet to the length of a school bus. VI. Light Rail Transit (LRT) S-27 A. LRT is a mode of metropolitan transportation. You must adhere to all lights, signals and signage when they are present. 1. Light and heavy rail traffic can be very quiet. Because of this you may not hear or see it coming. 2. When you cross a light rail, make sure you have room if you need to stop on the other side of the tracks. 3. Grade crossings with light rail transit can occur in many settings including: Intersections or at Midblock locations and Public or private driveways. B. Examples of light rail There is a place on question #6 of your handout to take some notes. For the Driver 8

9 1. Tram - an electric rail transport vehicle also known as S-28 a trolley or streetcar. Some modern light rail systems are also referred to as trolleys. 2. Trolleybus - an electric bus S Tourist trolley - a bus built to resemble a trolley car S Trolley (horse-drawn) - a goods vehicle with a platform body S-31 with four small wheels of equal size, mounted underneath it, the front two on a turntable undercarriage 5. Neighborhood trolley - the streetcar scale-model in the S-32 PBS children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood 6. Rail push trolley - a small vehicle for inspecting rail lines S-33 Evaluation Please look at your evaluation sheet and review your answers to the sixth question. (6.) Name two types of light rail transit. S-34 Answer: 1. Tram 2. Trolleybus 3. Tourist trolley 4. Trolley 5. Neighborhood trolley 6. Rail push trolley SUMMARY S-35 Today we talked about the six requirements that apply to drivers of school buses at rail grade crossings as defined in WAC There are also five exceptions for stopping at rail grade crossings. We talked about laws and consequences for getting a ticket for failure to stop at rail grade crossings. Rail grade crossings may or may not be in your daily life, but they can S-36 be complicated and challenging. The use of containment areas depends on a combination of traffic and control signals and has a great bearing on the safety around rail grade crossings. We talked a bit about light rail, so For the Driver 9

10 remember you might not hear the vehicle coming. Be extra vigilant. We also watched a new video and learned about public safety and great train facts Do you have any questions? Allow for Q & A S-37 THE END S-38 For the Driver 10

School Bus Driver Trainer Inservice

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