If you’re within 100 feet of railroad tracks, the speed limit will generally be 15 mph. We know what you’re thinking: how am I going to beat out that train if I can only go 15 mph?! Eh, perhaps you should let the train win just this once. And by “just this once” we mean “every time.”

Make sure you do the following at railroad crossings:

1. Look both ways and listen for oncoming trains. This might mean you have to turn down the Taylor Swift for a sec.

2. If there are cars directly ahead of you and near the tracks, wait for them to move forward so that your back end is not left hanging out in danger’s way. Be good to your back end; it’s been good to you.

3. Be aware of vehicles that are required to come to a stop in front of railroad tracks, such as buses or certain types of trucks. Don’t hit them. You may have noticed that our urgings for you to avoid colliding with other vehicles is becoming something of a theme here.

4. If you see flashing red lights, stop at least 15ft—but not more than 50ft from the tracks. (You probably won’t have a yardstick on you, so just guesstimating is fine.)

5. If railroad crossing gates are down or are in the process of being lowered, do not attempt to drive through or around them. They will be very expensive to replace if you take one of them out, and this will cause an icky mess that someone will have to clean up. Also, you’ll die.

6. If you are stopped at a railroad crossing where there is more than one track, don’t just rush across as soon as the train passes. There might be another train coming from the other direction, and that would suck for you.

7. Do not shift gears while crossing a railroad track. How many movies have you seen where a car stalls out right on the tracks? Do you want that to be you? Didn’t think so.

As long as you have no signs or flashing lights telling you otherwise, you may pass a stopped streetcar, trolley, or bus, but you may go no more than 10 mph. This will also be the rule when you arrive at a safety zone—an area marked by raised, circular bumps on the road. Since you have likely gone through puberty, you should be no stranger to raised, circular bumps. Too soon?

In most business or residential areas, the speed limit is 25 mph. This is so that you don’t run over any telecommuters.