SKODA has become the first car company to launch an online app to alert drivers they are travelling in the wrong direction on a one way street.

With the system an alert will be sent to the vehicle's display panel and the device will be available to drivers of the company's Scala, Superb, Kamiq, Karoq and Kodiaq models.

The Traffication app, developed in collaboration with Bosch, provides early alerts and vital information on traffic issues and hazards.

A feature of the software is a warning issued when a driver attempts to enter a motorway slip road in the wrong direction, an action which would result in them driving against the flow of traffic.

While the situation may seem an unlikely one, 26 per cent of drivers surveyed by Skoda admitted to having driven a road in the wrong direction at least once, with 15 per cent of drivers owning up to repeating the error multiple times.

Some 41 per cent of respondents said that they knew someone who had mistakenly done so, while 65 per cent had witnessed another driver doing it.

Almost one fifth of motorists experienced the threat on a dual-carriageway with 11 per cent of drivers doing so on motorways. While a majority of respondents said they had experienced wrong-way driving in an urban or residential setting, the consequences of failing to realise such an error on higher-speed roads can result in far more severe consequences.

As well as alerting drivers to their own potential mistakes, the new application can also draw attention to dangers which are already developing ahead.

When the Traffication app is in use, the vehicle's infotainment display notifies thedriver when they are set to encounter a traffic hazard on an upcoming stretch of road.

An early warning is displayed when the system detects stationary vehicles with their hazard warning lights flashing - for example after a breakdown - on the road ahead, helping drivers to better prepare to safely pass the stranded vehicle.

The new app also complements the infotainment system's navigation function by displaying information on traffic conditions. The app always runs in the background; there is no need to enter a desired destination in order to receive hazard warnings.

It is available for vehicles equipped with the top infotainment systems based on Skoda's third-generation Modular Infotainment Matrix. The app is compatible with the Columbus system in the Superb, Karoq and Kodiaq and the Amundsen system in the Scala and Kamiq.

The app will be made available to other models later this year and Skoda says additional plans for the development of the Traffication Infotainment App are already underway, with wrong-way driving alerts to be shared with other Skoda vehicles in the surrounding area.

Further upgrades scheduled include displaying messages about weather and road conditions as well as the option of having the system read notifications out loud. In addition, drivers will then be able to report hazards themselves to keep other road users informed and up-to-date.