Skoda trials train warning technology to help reduce near-misses

Skoda is testing out a new system that could help reduce the risk of accidents involving vehicles and trains at level crossings.

The new train warning software, which is being trialled by Skoda in association with Czech railway firm Leo Express, allows real-time train locations to be transmitted to the cloud, which Skoda communicates to any of its vehicles with its Traffication infotainment app.

Skoda Karoq
A number of Skoda’s models could easily be equipped with the system

There were also 8,264 ‘instances of vehicles misusing level crossings’ by travelling over them when it was unsafe to do so between 2014 and 2021. An average of 1,181 motorists drive through level crossings when it is unsafe each year, with 621 incidents recorded from 2020 to 2021 alone. Some 1,015 incidents were recorded from 2019 to 2020.

Britain currently has close to 6,000 level crossings, yet only a third feature some form of alert to warn drivers of an oncoming train, according to Network Rail. A Freedom of Information request issued by Skoda also found that there were four collisions between trains and vehicles at level crossings in the past year alone.

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