Ohio's “Blocked Crossing Statute” prohibits stopped trains from blocking public roads for longer than five minutes, with certain exceptions.
People Also Ask
Ohio law requires all vehicles to stop (no closer than 15 feet, but not more than 50 feet from the track) at highway/rail crossings when a train is approaching.
(D) When stop signs are erected pursuant to division (B) or (C) of this section, the operator of any vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley shall stop within fifty, but not less than fifteen, feet from the nearest rail of the railroad tracks and shall exercise due care before proceeding across such grade crossing.
If gates at the crossing are in the lowered position, drivers must not go around them. It is against the law to drive around lowered gates. When a crossing signal system is activated, a train is almost always in the approach circuits, but may be blocked from view.
Forty states and the District of Columbia have laws that limit how long trains can block public crossings, anywhere from five to 20 minutes, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The Federal Railroad Administration does not currently set any limits on train lengths – and also doesn't regularly track train lengths or their associated risks. That has allowed freight railroad companies to occasionally operate trains up to 8 kilometres (5 miles) long.
Railroads and railroaders do not intentionally block crossings; unavoidable circumstances and rules to protect public safety sometimes necessitate that trains block intersections. Common reasons for a blocked crossing are waiting on the arrival of another train to pass or waiting to enter a rail yard.
Always expect a train. Trains are quieter and faster than you think, can run on any track, at any time, from either direction and do not run on schedules. Walking on or beside railroad tracks is illegal.
There is a California Public Utilities Commission rule stating that “a public grade crossing which is blocked by a stopped train . . . must be open within 10 minutes.”
It should elicit a fine of a couple hundred dollars, but it could land you a month (or more) in jail and a fine in the ballpark of $1,000. CLICK HERE for more of Esquire's Guide to Minor Transgressions!
Know that trains always have the right of way. Don't stop on the tracks. Make sure you have room to get across. Once you enter the crossing, keep moving.
The short answer is that trains must blow their horn's at railroad crossings because it is federal law (at least in the United States). The longer answer has to do with the safety of both the public, and the rail crew.