Google Teams Up With FRA to Include Railroad Crossings in Google Maps

According to The New York Times, Google and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will announce a partnership today that will lead to the inclusion of all grade crossings in the United States via Google Maps. The FRA’s hope is that this addition to Maps will bring down the amount of accidents that happen at crossings, which spiked last year by 9%. 

In total, there are over 200K crossings in the US, with roughly 2,000 accidents taking place each year at these locations. With the help of new audible and visual warnings while users have voice navigation turned on, Google Maps can hopefully have a direct impact on the number of accidents.

There is no word on when these changes will be made to Maps, but once Google and the FRA make the official announcement, we should have a good idea as to when you can expect it.

Anything that makes driving safer is a plus in our book.

Via: The New York Times