Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Road Signs

What does the manual say you should do at a railroad crossbuck sign?

Two long white rectangular boards crossed in an X shape with the words RAILROAD on one arm and CROSSING on the other in black letters.
  1. A.
    Come to a full stop at the tracks regardless of trains
  2. B.
    Continue at your normal speed since crossbucks are informational only
  3. C.
    Slow down and prepare to stop if a train is approaching Correct
  4. D.
    Sound your horn and drive across without slowing
The Why

The answer is "Slow down and prepare to stop if a train is approaching"

The manual assigns YIELD-sign behavior to a crossbuck: slow down and prepare to stop only if you see or hear a train approaching. Choice A tempts drivers who half-remember the rule for flashing red lights or lowered gates, which do require a full stop; a plain crossbuck standing alone works like a yield sign, not a stop sign.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Come to a full stop at the tracks regardless of trains

A crossbuck functions as a yield sign, not a stop sign; a full stop is only mandatory when a flashing signal, a lowered gate, a flagger, or a train's audible warning indicates an approaching train. This answer applies the mandatory-stop rule for flashing red lights and lowered gates to every railroad marking, even a plain crossbuck standing alone.

B. Continue at your normal speed since crossbucks are informational only

The manual explicitly assigns yield-sign duty to a crossbuck: slow, look, and listen for approaching trains before proceeding across the tracks. This answer reads the crossbuck's plain wooden appearance as decorative signage, missing that the manual assigns it the same duty as a yield sign.

D. Sound your horn and drive across without slowing

The manual never authorizes horn-and-proceed at a crossbuck; the required action is to slow, look, and be ready to stop for any approaching train. This answer carries over the rural blind-intersection habit of a warning honk instead of the yield-and-look duty the manual assigns to a crossbuck.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Road Signs in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "RAILROAD CROSSBUCK SIGN," p.10..

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