At what distance from the "Stop Line" or the "No Stopping" sign must a driver stop to miss an approaching train?

Explanation

Directly before the "stop line" or the "no entry without stopping" sign.

At a level crossing, the place of stopping is not determined by a figure in metres; it is determined by the marking on the spot itself. If a stop line is drawn or a "no entry without stopping" sign is fitted, you must stop directly before them. If neither exists, then the standard safe distance from the rails becomes the criterion.

The reason for this order is engineering. The stop line and the sign are placed at exactly the point where the driver has the best view in both directions along the railway line while still being outside the dangerous envelope of a passing train. The designer of the crossing has considered the gradient, the bend of the road, the position of trees and buildings, and has chosen that point. If you stop a few metres further forward or back on your own estimate, you either put yourself inside the train's envelope or lose your view.

Worth memorising for the exam: whenever a question puts several figures in front of you and one option says "directly before the stop line or the sign", that option is the answer. The figures are only for the case where no marking exists at all. And in practice, this stop must be complete, not a mere slowing; at a level crossing a train can neither deviate nor stop within a short distance, so the whole burden of decision is yours.

• 1.5 m is an invented figure for this situation; when a stop line or a sign exists, a distance in metres has no meaning. • 2.5 m is wrong for the same reason; the place of stopping is determined by the marking, not by the driver's estimate. • 5 m relates to other situations and is not the criterion for stopping behind a stop line or a sign. • 10 m is a figure that acquires meaning only in the absence of a stop line and a sign, and relative to the nearest rail, not relative to the stop line or the sign itself.

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