Skoda is testing new technology to help prevent collisions between cars and trains at level crossings.Â
Research by the Czech brand found that 992 near-misses occurred between trains and vehicles in the UK in the 10 years between 2011 and 2021.
According to the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), there are an average of 99 near-misses every year. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were 75 recorded incidents between 2019 and 2020, and also between 2018 and 2019.
Four actual collisions between trains and road vehicles occurred between 2021 and 2022.
Danger, high voltage!
UK motorists face a £60 fine and three points on their driving licence for disobeying level crossing rules. Despite this, 8,264 drivers crossed when it was unsafe between 2014 and 2021.
There are around 6,000 level crossings in the UK. However, only one-third of these have any measures in place to warn drivers of an approaching train.
Faced with such a substantial road safety issue, Skoda is piloting new software to warn drivers of trains approaching level crossings. It is currently being tested by the Czech railway company, Leo Express.
Real-time train location data is stored in the cloud, then communicated to the car as it approaches a level crossing. Drivers see a warning on the multimedia screen, along with a spoken command to stop.
Cloud-based warnings
Skoda’s Traffication app is used to receive and share warnings about level crossings. Integrated into the car’s infotainment system, the app can also warn drivers of other potential hazards, thanks to cloud-based technology.
In the UK, the Traffication app runs automatically in the background, and can alert drivers about motorists driving the wrong way down a road, or severe weather. Information collated from other Skodas can be used to tailor warnings – e.g. poor visibility might be detected by a number of drivers turning on their fog lights.
With the exception of the Enyaq iV, the Traffication app is available for all Skoda models fitted with the latest MIB-3 infotainment system.
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