Section Saf-C 1306.09 - Railroad Grade Crossing Procedure(a) Pursuant to RSA 265:50, I, each school bus driver shall stop at all railroad grade crossings, except as provided in RSA 265:50, II.(b) Each school bus driver shall complete the following procedure in the stated orderat each railroad grade crossing: (1) When approaching the crossing, slow down, shift to a lower gear if in a manual transmission bus and test the brakes;(2) Activate the hazard lights approximately 200 feet from the railroad grade crossing;(3) Move as far to the right of the road as practical in the desired lane of travel;(4) Turn off the master switch, if applicable;(5) Scan surroundings and check for traffic behind the school bus;(6) Locate an escape route in the event of a brake failure or other emergency;(7) At the crossing itself, completely stop the bus at least 15 feet, but no more than 50 feet, from the nearest rail and, if it is a multitrack crossing, stop only before the first set of tracks;(8) Place the transmission in "park" and if no "park", place it in "neutral', press down on the service brake and set the parking brake;(9) Open the service door and the driver's window to look in both directions for approaching trains;(10) Shut off noisy equipment, instruct passengers to be quiet and listen for an approaching train;(11) Check the crossing signals again and when it is safe to do so, close the entrance door;(12) Assess the space on the other side of the tracks to determine if there is sufficient room for the school bus plus an additional 15 feet should there be an intersection with or without traffic controls that may require the bus to stop;(13) When it is safe to do so, place the transmission in the appropriate gear, release the parking brake and proceed across the tracks without shifting gears, until the bus completely clears the tracks;(14) At a multi-track crossing, when certain that there is no train approaching on any of the tracks, proceed across all of the tracks until the bus completely clears all of the tracks;(15) If a crossing gate comes down after the bus has started across the tracks, do not stop but instead proceed across the tracks even if it means the gate will be broken; and(16) After the rear of the bus is 15 feet beyond the last rail, turn off the hazard lights and turn on the master switch, if applicable.(c) Prior to permitting a new or substitute driver to drive a school bus, each employer shall notify the new or substitute driver of:(1) The procedures set forth in (a) and (b) above; and(2) Any characteristics of railroad grade crossings unique to the particular school bus route.N.H. Admin. Code § Saf-C 1306.09
#4873, eff 07-24-90; ss by #6297, eff 7-23-96; ss by #8122, INTERIM, eff 7-17-04, EXPIRES: 1-13-05; ss and moved by #8248, eff 1-4-05 (from Saf-C 1316.09)
Ss by #10439, eff 10/11/2013 (See Revision Note at chapter heading for Saf-C 1300).