New Hampshire § 265:50 Certain Vehicles Must Stop at All Railroad Grade Crossings

New Hampshire Statutes

§ 265:50 — Certain Vehicles Must Stop at All Railroad Grade Crossings

New Hampshire § 265:50

Title XXIMOTOR VEHICLES

Ch. 265RULES OF THE ROAD

SubdivisionSpecial Stops Required

This text of New Hampshire § 265:50 (Certain Vehicles Must Stop at All Railroad Grade Crossings) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 265:50 (2026).

Text

I.The driver of any vehicle carrying passengers for hire, or of any school bus carrying any school child, or of any vehicle carrying explosive substances, before crossing at grade any track or tracks of a railroad, shall stop such vehicle within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail of such railroad and while so stopped shall listen and look in both directions along such track for any approaching train or other maintenance of way on-track equipment, and for signals indicating the approach of a train or other maintenance of way on-track equipment, except as hereinafter provided, and shall not proceed until he or she can do so safely. After stopping as required herein and upon proceeding when it is safe to do so the driver of any said vehicle shall cross only in such gear

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I. The driver of any vehicle carrying passengers for hire, or of any school bus carrying any school child, or of any vehicle carrying explosive substances, before crossing at grade any track or tracks of a railroad, shall stop such vehicle within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail of such railroad and while so stopped shall listen and look in both directions along such track for any approaching train or other maintenance of way on-track equipment, and for signals indicating the approach of a train or other maintenance of way on-track equipment, except as hereinafter provided, and shall not proceed until he or she can do so safely. After stopping as required herein and upon proceeding when it is safe to do so the driver of any said vehicle shall cross only in such gear of the vehicle that there will be no necessity for changing gears while traversing such crossing and the driver shall not shift gears while crossing the track or tracks.
II. No stop need be made at any such crossing when a police officer or a traffic control signal directs traffic to proceed, or by vehicles engaged in the common or contract carriage of passengers for hire, or school buses transporting school students, when such vehicles or buses are exempt by order of the commissioner of transportation.
III. Every vehicle used for the transportation of flammable liquids in cargo tanks, whether loaded or empty, or for the transportation of cylinders of liquified petroleum gas shall, upon approaching any railroad grade crossing, be brought to a full stop not more than 50 feet and not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail of such grade crossing, and shall not proceed until due caution has been taken to ascertain that the course is clear, except that a full stop need not be made at a railroad grade crossing where a police officer or a traffic control signal (not a railroad flashing signal) directs traffic to proceed; nor at an abandoned or exempted grade crossing which is clearly marked as such by or with the consent of the proper state authority, when such marking can be read from the driver's position.
IV. The term "cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas" as used in this section, shall not be deemed to include the following:
(a) Portable jugs of the nature used by tradesmen such as steamfitters, painters, plumbers, etc.; or
(b) Bottled gas cylinders when attached to house trailers in transit.

Legislative History

1939, 69:1. RL 119:19. RSA 263:38. 1949, 127:1. RSA 263:78. 1961, 72:1. 1963, 330:1. RSA 262-A:47. 1981, 146:1. 1985, 213:20, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. 2022, 257:2, eff. Aug. 23, 2022.