Google Maps is without a doubt one of the star services of the search engine company. And it’s no wonder, because since its birth in February 2005, it continues to grow in scope and functions, increasing its usefulness. So early next year, the service will celebrate two decades of operation, 20 years in which everything has evolved… as an example, let’s remember that when it was launched, Google Maps was a PC browser consultation service, because it would take several years for smartphones to appeared and became popular.

These days, and while the desktop version is still useful in many cases, there’s no doubt about that The majority of its use is through the Android and iOS appbe it for traveling on the road, finding some type of business in the place where we are, finding the most optimal routes by public transport, even identifying places thanks to the Street View function… the list is endless.

Given the dates we’re in, on the cusp of the month with the highest number of road trips of the entire year (blessed holidays), there will be many people resorting to this tool to find the best way to travel from point A to point B, which is especially common if we are traveling to an unfamiliar destination. But what happens if we are about to take an itinerary that we know by heart and could do with our eyes closed? Is it appropriate to use Google Maps in these cases as well?

The answer to the question I closed the previous paragraph with is a clear and emphatic statement: Yes, we strongly recommend using Google Maps when traveling by road, even if you already know the route. There are several reasons for this, although if you’ve done it on occasion, chances are you’re thinking of the exact opposite, reasons not to, and one in particular. One that does, you can quickly fix.

Let’s look at this disadvantage first.and this certainly discourages using Google Maps on routes you already know. I mean, of course, how annoying it is to take all the directions on a given route, something that becomes even more annoying when you’re talking to passengers in the car, listening to the radio, or simply when you’re not. you want to hear “At the next roundabout, take the third exit.

The good news, and not many people know it, is this You can configure Google Maps to only notify you of alerts for the route you’re about to follow. This means that under these circumstances the app will remain “muted” unless it needs to share important information with you (and no, turning right is not important information. To make this adjustment, open the app, tap your profile picture , in the upper right corner, click on “Settings” and in the menu that opens, select “Sound and voice” section at the top right. Change the setting from “Sound on” to “Notifications only ” and that’s it, you will no longer receive route instructions.

Okay, but now you’re probably wondering why it’s a good idea to use Google Maps to travel on a road whose routes you already know, right? Well Here are five reasons why I’ve been doing it for a while now.and it makes me like this service more every day.

Real-time operation

No matter how much we know a route, we don’t have real-time traffic volume information, and that’s what Google Maps can provide. So, if I had used this feature a few years ago when I was returning from Cambrils to my residence in the northern part of Madrid (exactly on a route that I knew perfectly well), I would have saved an hour and a half of traffic jams of a combination of work and a lane “borrowed” in the opposite direction of traffic .

Incident Alerts

Even worse than arriving late is not arriving, and this can happen to us if the itinerary we know turns out to be interrupted for any reason, from an accident to work being shorter or longer. In such cases, if Google Maps already has this information in advance, it will take it into account when planning the route (which we can check before starting). And otherwise, if we find him by surprise, he will suggest an alternative plan that will allow us to reach our goal.

In the picture on the left, real-time traffic information; On the right, it reports road events that may affect your route.

Estimated time of arrival

Even if we know the route and the time it usually takes to complete it, there are many factors that can affect this. Having an estimated time of arrival provided by Google Maps can be very useful for a variety of reasons, from warning that we will arrive later than expected to deciding to stop for lunch mid-drive, just to name a few examples.

Radar warning

Although fixed speed cameras are properly marked on the road, it is possible to miss their presence by mistake, even if we know about it in advance. Going back to my personal experience, it happened to me a little over a month ago, although I wasn’t driving too fast, I was exceeding the speed of the road. Fortunately, a Google Maps notification prevented them from taking one of those expensive photos. Of course, the maps only warn of fixed speed cameras, not mobile cameras, speed cameras, helicopters, etc., so it’s always best to slow down.

Speed ​​limits

As I said at the end of the previous paragraph, speed reduction is key, but sometimes we can get lost, we can jump a lower maximum limit sign than is normal for this type of road, etc. To avoid this risk, and although it should not replace strict attention to traffic markers, Google Maps informs us about it and also gives a visual warning if we cross it (this feature has been present on Android for some time and recently arrived on iOS ). As you can see, the speed limit is shown in the lower left corner and next to it the speed we are going at that moment, with different colors depending on whether we are going below it or slightly above it (. in which we can consider the margin of error) and if we are clearly exceeding it

In the picture on the left, the vehicle is traveling below the maximum speed on the road (105 km/h on a 120 km/h road); At the central station it orbits slightly above the maximum, which may be within the limits of error (127 km/h on a 120 km/h road); In the one on the right, the vehicle is driving well above the maximum speed on the road (116 km/h on a 100 km/h road).

These are five reasons why it’s strange in my case not to use Google Maps on the vast majority of road trips. Eye, This does not mean that we should trust the service and submit to its information with our eyes closed.. We must remember that this service complements what is essential in driving, i.e. always paying attention to the road, its markings and the circumstances that arise at any time.