Why do trains have the right-of way?
• Trains cannot stop in time for motorists at crossings, or for trespassers on the tracks. The average freight train, traveling at 55 MPH, takes anywhere from a mile to a mile and a half to make a complete stop. The average automobile can stop in only 200 feet at that same speed. It’s a simple matter of physics: the heavier the object, the longer the stopping distance. In addition, the contact surface between a train’s steel wheels and the steel rails is only the size of a dime! That results in very little friction created when compared to an automobile with rubber tires on asphalt or concrete.
