What do you do at a level crossing when the barriers are closed?

When the barriers are closed, you must treat the level crossing as blocked and wait at the correct place. You stop in front of the St. Andrew’s Cross (the level-crossing sign) and keep junctions and driveways clear. The idea is that traffic on the crossing must never be trapped: if you queued over a nearby intersection, you could block cross traffic and also prevent vehicles from clearing the tracks once the situation changes.

At night or in poor visibility, switching on your side lights (parking lights) is recommended if you are waiting, so other drivers can see your vehicle early without creating glare. In Germany this is a common rule of thumb: if you are stopped or waiting in the dark where you could be overlooked, ensure you are clearly visible.

Waiting directly in front of the barrier or using the area right up at the barrier is wrong because it tempts drivers to creep too close to the tracks and reduces your safety margin. You should always leave enough space to the crossing and follow the stopping line/position at the St. Andrew’s Cross, so you can’t accidentally end up on the tracks and you keep a safe buffer if something unexpected happens.