# Stalling on the Tracks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stalling-on-the-tracks/454919>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 1, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stalling-on-the-tracks/454919 "2008-07-01T16:18:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stalling-on-the-tracks/454919/1 "2008-07-01T16:18:47Z")

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[Cecil’s answer](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/080620.html) to the question “What makes a car so prone to stall in the middle of train tracks?” moved almost immediately into a discussion of why this might be a matter of perception rather than of reality. But I think there is good reason why stalls on RR tracks are more likely than, say, in the middle of a street.  
Having owned a few stall-prone cars in the past, I recall that the most common situation in which they would stall was when I 1) had it in gear, 2) was moving very slowly, almost-but-not-quite stopped, and 3) began to gently press on the accelerator to give it just a little more gas.  
Now, that pretty much describes the situation I would be in whenever I was about to cross a speed bump, railroad track, or particularly nasty potholes/broken pavement. I slow way down just before my front tires encounter the obstacle, give a bit of gas to ease them over, then repeat for the back tires.  
I suspect that this pattern is common among many drivers, and could easily lead to stalls just in front of, or directly over the tracks.