Ohio DOT to replace 'yield' signs at rail crossings

The Ohio Department of Transportation has begun replacing yield signs with stop signs at 1,000 rail crossings that do not have flashing lights or gates.

In conjunction with the Ohio Rail Development Commission, the department reviewed nearly 2,000 crossings following a change in state law that required stop signs to be installed at certain crossings. Officials found that 1,000 of the crossings would get stop signs where yield signs now exist.

The new signs will require auto vehicle drivers to come to a full stop at the rail crossings. The Ohio General Assembly changed the law in 2013 to increase safety for drivers and passengers.

"This change will reinforce driver behaviors of being safe and cautious around railroad tracks; to stop, look both ways, and proceed across with caution," said Julianne Kaercher, spokeswoman for the Ohio Rail Development Commission, in a press release.