Opinion: How your driving app might be leading you in the wrong direction

driving apps like Google Maps and Waze have become indispensable tools for many of us. They promise to get us to our destinations faster and more efficiently. However, these apps often lead us astray, both literally and figuratively.

On a recent trip to Kennedy International Airport, I found myself swerving across three lanes of expressway traffic at 50 miles per hour to reach an exit, only to be told minutes later to re-enter the expressway I had just exited. This experience left me shaken and cursing at my phone. If you use a navigation app, you’ve likely felt similar frustration when your app endangers your life to potentially shave a minute or two off your drive time.

For all the extraordinary ways algorithms have changed our lives, one of the most impactful and infuriating often escapes notice: our leading online mapping systems from Google and Apple are not nearly as good as they could be. Dominated by tech monopolists, these apps frequently steer us into lakes, onto impassable dirt roads, or dump traffic onto residential streets, much to the dismay of local jurisdictions.

The primary issue is that these apps are programmed to find the fastest route, often at the expense of safety and user experience. The promised time savings are often a mirage, as the estimated arrival times can change multiple times while en route. These products should be calibrated with greater acknowledgment of the uncertainties involved in predicting unexpected slowdowns and road closures.

Digital maps have indeed been transformational. My father, a mathematician and mapmaker, helped build the first digital maps for early GPS navigation systems. When map apps arrived on our phones, we put away paper maps with a sigh of relief. However, we have become so reliant on these apps that we have lost the deep knowledge that allows us to make our own calculations of an optimal route.

Google, which commands over 80% of the navigation app market share, has not significantly improved its maps since acquiring Waze. This monopoly has led to a lack of innovation and customization in navigation apps. Imagine a navigation app that considers the safety impact of changing lanes with little notice or allows you to take the scenic route if the added driving time is under 10%. Such customization is possible; for instance, Porsche's navigation app offers routes tailored to your driving style, and the open-source project Valhalla offers dozens of ways to optimize routing algorithms.

Mikel Maron, a geographer and longtime contributor to OpenStreetMap, highlights the need for navigation infrastructure built with the right values. On a recent trip to Chicago, my app only offered the Dan Ryan Expressway, a 14-lane leviathan, instead of the beautiful Lake Shore Drive. Theoretically faster by a minute or two, the expressway is an unpleasant experience filled with 18-wheelers and prone to accidents and slowdowns.

The best hope for competition lies in OpenStreetMap, which underpins most maps other than Google’s. However, it is under-resourced and relies on volunteer contributions. For a vibrant consumer navigational ecosystem to emerge, society needs to invest in OpenStreetMap as a public good. Giant corporations should support the project, city planners should update their roads and bridges on OpenStreetMap, and communities should submit updates with local roads and hazards.

In addition, we can promote competition by using available alternatives. Apps like Citymapper offer bike, transit, and walking directions, while Organic Maps focuses on privacy. When using popular driving apps, take their directions with a huge grain of salt.