Re-training drivers

Dr. Detour: What Brightline means to you.

Q: What's the latest on South Florida train horns? Seems like Brightline passenger trains have added to the noise. How many people have been hit and killed by Brightline trains? Do engineers sound the horn all the way through the intersections? What improvements have been done over the years to increase safety? Brian Payton, Lighthouse Point.

A: First, officials say construction on railroad crossings should be finished by late spring or early summer to create quiet zones. They have to prevent pedestrians and vehicles from going around the crossing gates. Brightline, TriRail, and freight train engineers will no longer have to blast their horns unless there’s an emergency.

Second, there have been five deaths and at least three people injured since Brightline started test runs last year. Many more Tri-Rail and freight trains have struck people and vehicles that were on the tracks despite the warning bells, flashing lights, crossing gates and train horns.

Third, it is standard practice for engineers to sound their horns at least four times as they approach each crossing. There are two long blasts, a short blast, and a final long blast as the train goes through the crossing.

Lastly, more signs, gates, flashing lights, warning bells, medians and curbs have been added to railroad crossings but some people still ignore them and try to beat the train at their own peril.

Q: I always wonder how someone can cover their license plate to make them vir-

tually unreadable. My question to you is why has it become common practice for drivers in South Florida to leave expired decal stickers on their license plates? On many occasions it is common to see up to five expired, faded, registration decals posted over all areas of the license plate. Is this the basis for a traffic citation? Miguel Layun, Deerfield Beach.

A: You can be ticketed for this noncriminal traffic infraction. Florida law states the registration decal or validation sticker must be placed in the top right corner of a license plate that must be securely bolted to the rear of the vehicle to prevent it from swinging, flapping or falling off.

All numbers, letters, printing, writing, and the yellow sticker, “shall be clear and distinct and free from defacement, mutilation, grease, and other obscuring matter, so that they will be plainly visible and legible at all times from 100 feet,” the law states.

That also means no over-sized frames or license plate covers of any kind. The stickers change every year and license plates change every 10 years.

You can place a new decal over an old one or peel off the old one and replace it.