Dumb People Keep Getting Hit By Trains; Google Tries To Help

I remember when I had to take drivers ed as a 16 year old girl. Granted, I had been driving on back roads in northern Maine since I was about 11 so it was a piece of cake for me, but I still remember taking it very seriously.

One of the most basic things they taught was to slow down and look both ways before crossing train tracks. I think we even had to watch a terrifying video of cars getting stuck on the tracks! So I can only assume other drivers ed programs hammer home the importance of safety around railroad crossings.

However, in spite of the common sense that tells you to be careful because if you get hit by a train you die, there was actually at 9% increase in rail crossing accidents last year. In light of this, Google will work with the Federal Railroad Administration to list more than 200,000 public and private rail crossings in Google Maps.

So whether you're in a new area and get distracted and don't notice the signs, or you just don't care and choose not to slow down for the rail road, either way Google will do it's best to help you. And in the meantime, maybe just... I dunno... obey the driving laws?