The number of railroad crossing accidents that occur in the United States has declined 80 percent since 1970, but last year that number inexplicably rose 9 percent to approximately 1,100, 270 of which resulted in deaths. Today Google and the Federal Railroad Administration announced a partnership in which Maps users will receive audio and visual alerts when they're coming close to a railroad crossing in their route, according to a report in the New York Times. The Federal Railroad Administration has a vast database of every rail crossing in the country.

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