Google Maps will alert you to upcoming railroad crossings

In an effort to prevent railroad crossing accidents, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has teamed up with Google to warn drivers when they're approaching a crossing

Every railroad crossing in the country will be visible in Google Maps, and the app will issue both audio and visual notifications when the car approaches a crossing, according to a report by The New York Times and confirmed by Mashable. Right now, there's no timetable as to when the feature will appear in the app.

The hope is that drivers will be more careful as they intersect railroad crossings. About 94% of accidents at crossings is due to driver inattention and error, the FRA said. A major cause of accidents is drivers trying to beat the train to the crossing and miscalculating how much time they have Read more...