§173.1. Railroad grade crossings; stopping required

A. All buses transporting passengers and all commercial motor vehicles who are required to abide by 49 CFR Part 392.10, as amended, relative to methods by which a commercial motor vehicle carrying certain materials and buses transporting passengers, shall stop at railroad grade crossings within fifty feet of, and not closer than fifteen feet to, the tracks; thereafter, the driver shall listen and look in each direction along the tracks for an approaching train and ascertain that no train is approaching. When it is safe to do so, the driver may drive the commercial motor vehicle or bus across the tracks in a gear that permits the commercial motor vehicle to complete the crossing without a change of gears.

B. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the driver of any motor vehicle carrying passengers for hire, or of any school bus whether carrying any school child or not, before crossing at grade any track or tracks of a railroad, shall stop such vehicle within fifty feet, but not less than fifteen feet, from the nearest rail of such railroad and while so stopped shall listen and look in both directions along such track for any approaching train, and for signals indicating the approach of a train, except as hereinafter provided, and shall not proceed until he can do so safely. After stopping as required herein and upon proceeding, when it is safe to do so, the driver of any said vehicle shall cross only in such gear of the vehicle that there will be no necessity for changing gears while traversing such crossing, and the driver shall not shift gears while crossing the track or tracks.

C. The driver of any school bus, in addition to the requirements of Subsection B of this Section, after coming to a complete stop, shall open the door of the school bus and shall leave it open while ascertaining that no train or other vehicle is approaching on the railroad track from either side and until immediately prior to proceeding over the railroad crossing.

Acts 2008, No. 614, §1.