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§ 21-703. Passenger vehicles or vehicles carrying hazardous materials at railroad crossings

West's Annotated Code of MarylandTransportationEffective: October 1, 2017

West's Annotated Code of Maryland
Transportation
Title 21. Vehicle Laws--Rules of the Road (Refs & Annos)
Subtitle 7. Special Stops Required (Refs & Annos)
Effective: October 1, 2017
MD Code, Transportation, § 21-703
§ 21-703. Passenger vehicles or vehicles carrying hazardous materials at railroad crossings
Application of section
(a) Except as provided in subsection (g) of this section, this section applies to:
(1) Every motor vehicle carrying a passenger for hire;
(2) Every school vehicle carrying any passenger;
(3) Every bus that is owned or operated by a church and carrying any passenger;
(4) Every vehicle carrying as cargo a flammable liquid or an explosive; and
(5) Every vehicle carrying hazardous materials of a type and quantity requiring placarding under federal hazardous materials regulations.
Distance required at stop
(b) If the driver of any vehicle described in subsection (a) of this section approaches a railroad grade crossing, the driver shall stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail in the crossing.
Duty of driver to look and listen for approach or passage of train
(c) If the driver of any vehicle described in subsection (a) of this section approaches a railroad grade crossing, the driver, while stopped, shall listen and look in both directions along the track for any approaching or passing railroad train and for any signals indicating the approach or passage of a railroad train.
Driver allowed to proceed only when can be done safely
(d) If the driver of any vehicle described in subsection (a) of this section approaches a railroad grade crossing, the driver may not proceed until he can do so safely.
Driver required to maintain gear while passing through crossing
(e) If the driver of any vehicle described in subsection (a) of this section approaches a railroad grade crossing, the driver may proceed only in that gear of the vehicle in which it will be unnecessary to shift gears manually while passing through the crossing.
Manual shifting of gears while passing over track prohibited
(f) If the driver of any vehicle described in subsection (a) of this section approaches a railroad grade crossing, the driver may not shift gears manually while passing over any track of the railroad.
Railroad crossings in business or residential districts
(g)(1) This section does not apply to the vehicles described in subsection (a)(1), (4), and (5) of this section, at any railroad grade crossing in a business district or residential district.
(2) This section does not apply to school buses and church buses, as described in subsection (a)(2) and (3) of this section, at locations within Baltimore City where complying with the provision of this section would conflict with the existing traffic signal indications.
(3) This section does not apply to the vehicles described in subsection (a) of this section, at any railroad grade crossing with an exempt highway-rail grade crossing plaque.

Credits

Added by Acts 1977, c. 14, § 2, eff. July 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1986, c. 472, § 1; Acts 1992, c. 482; Acts 1994, c. 525, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1994; Acts 2003, c. 196, § 1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2017, c. 136, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2017.
Formerly Art. 66 ½, § 11-703.
MD Code, Transportation, § 21-703, MD TRANS § 21-703
Current with all legislation from the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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