What If Your Car Stalls on Railroad Tracks in Texas?
Your car stalls on railroad tracks and a train is approaching. What does the handbook tell you to do?
Short answer: Get out quickly and run toward the approaching train, off to the side of the tracks.
Why
If a train is coming and your car won't move, the Texas handbook says to leave it right away. Get clear of the tracks and head toward the train, staying off to the side. That keeps you out of the path of flying debris when the train hits the car.
It feels backwards, which is exactly why it shows up on tests. Running away from the train seems natural. The handbook still says to move toward it, to the side, so the debris from the crash doesn't reach you.
When no train is in sight, the handbook's advice is different: try to push the car off the tracks, and if you can't, get help. Better still, never stop on the tracks at all. Trains cannot stop at crossings and always have the right-of-way.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7, January 2026), page 22.
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