USA: Norfolk Southern is using the Waze mobile app to target safety messages at motorists approaching level crossings.
‘Leveraging the Waze app allows us to select areas of our system where we have significant train volume and a history of highway vehicle train incidents’, said Public Safety Director Will Miller. ‘Waze users within a defined geographical boundary will see a safety message on their device when their vehicle is stopped. It will say either “Tracks nearby. Be smart. Be safe”, or “Your Safety Starts with You. Cross Carefully”. These messages are intended to urge people to think about how they behave around rail tracks and to make the right decision to keep themselves and anyone in the vehicle safe.’
Assistant Vice-President, Safety & Environmental, Jason Morris said the partnership with Waze provides ‘a chance to reach people that may not otherwise receive these safety messages, and with 30 million Waze users in the USA alone, that is powerful’.
The NS programme is separate from work being undertaken by the Federal Railroad Administration to supply level crossing data for the Waze app.
