There’s No Train! Is the Police Nitpicking, Filling the Treasury, or Is It All for a Reason?

We have all been there, you are late for work, waiting at a railroad crossing while an endless freight train finally rolls past. The last car clears the crossing, the tip of the barrier starts its slow ascent, and your hand is already reaching for the gear lever. This is the exact moment when many of us try to save those couple of seconds and drive off, and that is precisely when a police officer might step out from around the corner, radar or stop sign in hand. Is this just a way to fill the state treasury and engage in pure pedantry, or does this annoying rule actually have some substance?