For many, including those with a poor sense of direction, Google Maps has become an essential travel app, useful for both short trips and longer, unfamiliar routes. The app's traffic estimates, alternate route options, and toll avoidance features are invaluable. However, there's a critical feature that Google Maps currently lacks: warning users of dangerous routes with high crime rates and suggesting safer alternatives.
The question arises: How much can we trust Google Maps to navigate us through safe routes, particularly in areas known for high crime?
The Reality of Navigating Dangerous Routes
Many users have reported that Google Maps has directed them through dangerous routes on multiple occasions. This issue is particularly pronounced in countries with high crime rates, such as South Africa, where vigilance is paramount. In its pursuit of the shortest route, the app often recommends paths through high-crime areas.
These instances occur most frequently on longer journeys involving highways, but have also been reported on shorter, 15-minute trips into neighboring areas. One user recounted a particularly alarming experience where Google Maps diverted them from a main highway onto a road through an informal settlement, considered one of the most dangerous locations in their province. Similarly, a first trip from a new suburb in Cape Town to the airport led through another dangerous area, with road signs explicitly warning drivers about crime hotspots along the route.
While some users have adapted by learning to anticipate and ignore Google Maps' potentially risky suggestions, this approach relies on pre-existing knowledge of dangerous routes, which is not helpful in unfamiliar areas.
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Evidently, Google Maps directing users through ill-advised routes is not an isolated incident. It's time for Google to consider adding crime advisories and allowing users to avoid dangerous routes.
The Case for Crime Advisories
The implementation of crime advisories would be particularly beneficial for tourists using the app in foreign countries, as they are arguably more vulnerable. Google Maps has faced scrutiny following several high-profile incidents where tourists were navigated to a crime hotspot in Cape Town.
In 2024, a couple even sued Google after the Maps app directed them through a notoriously dangerous area, where they were subsequently attacked while traveling from Cape Town airport to their Airbnb. These incidents led Google to remove the suggested route from Maps, but only after the fact.
By proactively noting high-crime areas, Google Maps could warn users that their intended route may be dangerous. This would benefit not only tourists but also residents of cities and countries with high crime rates.
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How a Crime Hotspot Feature Could Work
Google Maps already offers various features, such as recommending the most fuel-efficient route based on car engine type and allowing users to avoid tolls. The app also enables users to share reviews for locations. Therefore, incorporating ways to avoid routes with high crime seems feasible.
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The changes Google Maps made to its route recommendations from Cape Town International Airport demonstrate that collaboration with local authorities is possible. However, this move was reactive, addressing a route long known for its danger, and did not include other crime hotspots in the vicinity.
Google could leverage publicly available data, collaborate with authorities and companies, and utilize user feedback to incorporate safety advisories. There is a wealth of publicly available data that Google could use to tailor its route recommendations and collaborate with companies to highlight areas of concern.
Allowing feedback from local users to report intersections and routes that pose a risk to travelers is another viable option. The app currently allows users to submit road information such as whether a road is one-way, private, or closed. Extending custom route support in Google Maps’ mobile app and recognizing preferred routes, similar to Apple Maps, could also enhance safety.
Here's a potential structure for displaying crime data:
| Route Segment | Reported Incidents (Last 6 Months) | Severity Level | User Ratings (Safety) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highway Exit 42 to Main Street | 15 | High | 2.5/5 |
| Oak Avenue between 1st and 5th | 8 | Medium | 3.0/5 |
| Industrial Park Access Road | 22 | Critical | 1.8/5 |
Google Maps has plenty of great features, but it’s about time that Google Maps adapted to this reality and made it a priority feature.
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Additional Google Maps Features for Safe Travel
Organizing the perfect vacation can be simplified with the right tools that Google Maps offers:
- Immersive View: Scope out places before you visit with immersive view in Google Maps. Not only can you see a photorealistic view of an area, but you’ll also be able to get helpful information - like what the weather will be like at different times of day or when a spot gets most crowded.
- Recents Tab: Stay organized with the Recents tab on desktop Google Maps. To make trip planning easier, we’ll automatically organize places you’ve searched for on Maps by city with the new Recents tab on desktop. Share them with your travel buddy or save them to a new list.
- Lens: Identify landmarks, artwork, plants, animals, and more with Lens. Use Lens in the Google app (Android and iOS) to search with your camera and answer questions like “who built that statue” or “what’s this pretty flower?”.
- Multisearch in Lens: Discover local cuisine with multisearch in Lens, you can combine words and images to find what you’re looking for in a whole new way - including information from the millions of local businesses on Google.
- Live View: Navigate with AR using Live View on Maps - indoors and out. You’ll see AR arrows that point you exactly where you need to go. You can even use Live View indoors to navigate places like airports, helping you easily find your baggage claim or car rental.
- Bike and Scooter Share Information: Explore on wheels with bike and scooter share information on Maps. Just select your destination, tap on directions, and scroll to the cycling option.
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tags: #Africa
