Railroad crossings can be some of most dangerous things any driver comes across. Finally, these intersections will appear in Google Maps.
The New York Times reports that the Federal Railroad Administration “plans to announce a partnership with Google” today to list all railroad grade crossings in Google Maps. The move comes as a result of an increase in the number of accidents at these crossings, which rose 9 percent last year, resulting in 270 deaths and 843 injuries, according to government statistics.
Google will map out the crossings and add audio and visual alerts to its app. The Times notes that the Federal Railroad Administration plans to work with Apple, MapQuest, TomTom and Garmin to map out crossings on those companies’ navigational apps, too.
The agency told the Times that adding notifications to apps is a good way to alert drivers who use their smartphones to navigate of upcoming crossings. Many railroad crossings, especially in rural areas, throughout the U.S. don’t have gates or blinking lights to warn drivers of upcoming train traffic.
No word on when the railroad crossing information will be available via Google Maps, but the feds say they’ve made it a “priority.”
