Level crossings: amber light, flashing red lights and breaking down on the tracks
The lights at a level crossing start to flash as you approach. Decide when to stop, what the lights mean after a train passes and what to do if you break down on the tracks.
The short version
- Amber or flashing red: stop behind the white line.
- Lights still flashing after a train: another one is coming.
- Broken down on the tracks: everyone out, then the railway phone.
Step 1
The steady amber light comes on. You are well before the white line and can stop safely.
What do you do?
✓ Stop behind the white line. Amber at a level crossing means stop, just like at traffic lights. A train is already on its way.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Speed up to get across before the red lights start. Trains are fast and cannot stop or swerve. Racing the lights is how people die at crossings.
- ✗ Keep going, the barriers are still up. Barriers lower a few seconds after the lights. The light is the signal, not the barrier.
- ✗ Stop right on the tracks so you are first away. Never stop on a crossing. A lowering barrier or a train could hit you.
Step 2
A train has passed. The red lights are still flashing and the barriers stay down.
What does that mean?
✓ Another train is coming. Wait. The lights keep flashing because a second train is due, often on the other track and from the other way.
Why not the other options
- ✗ The barriers are stuck. Drive carefully round them. Never zig-zag round half barriers. They are down because a train is coming.
- ✗ The lights are faulty. Cross if you cannot see a train. Trains at 100 mph cover the visible track in seconds. Wait for the lights to go out.
- ✗ Flash your headlights so the signal operator raises the barriers. Nobody can see your lights, and the barriers only rise once every train has passed.
Step 3
Another time, the barriers rise but traffic is queuing just beyond the crossing.
When should you drive over?
✓ Only when there is room to clear the crossing on the other side. If the queue stops you on the tracks, the next train will arrive with you stuck on the line.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Straight away, the queue will move by the time you get there. It may not. Never drive onto a crossing until the road on the other side is clear.
- ✗ Straight away, and stop on the crossing if you have to. Never stop on or just after a level crossing.
Step 4
Another time, your car stalls on a crossing and will not restart.
What do you do first?
✓ Get everyone out and clear of the crossing, then use the railway telephone. People first. The signal operator can stop trains, and the phone by the crossing reaches them directly.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Keep trying to start the engine. Every second in the car is a second on the line. Get out first.
- ✗ Put the hazard lights on and wait in the car for help. A train cannot stop for a car it sees. Nobody should stay inside.
- ✗ Push the car off the crossing even if the alarm sounds. Move it only if there is time before a train. Once the alarm or amber light starts, leave it and get clear.
The rules behind it
- Rule 293 You MUST obey the flashing red lights and stop behind the white line. If a train passes and the lights keep flashing, another train is coming. Never zig-zag round half barriers.
- Rule 291 Approach a level crossing with care. Never drive onto it until the road on the other side is clear, and never stop or park on or near it.
- Rule 299 If you break down on a level crossing, get everyone out and clear at once, then use the railway telephone to tell the signal operator. If the alarm sounds or the amber light comes on, leave the car and get clear.
More situations
Based on the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988 as published on GOV.UK in October 2026, in our own words; follow the links for the full text. Insurance points are common UK insurer policy terms, so check your own policy. This is not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.