Getting driving directions from Google Maps is one of its most vital and useful features. To make navigation more effective for the drivers, Google recently added a speedometer in Google Maps to alert you when you may be driving at a higher speed than the set limit for the road or when there might be a speed camera. Now, Google Maps is getting another feature which will help you stay safe while riding a taxi by alerting you every time your ride gets off the route.

To get Maps to track your ride, look for navigation directions to your destination, and tap the Stay safer button in the menu at the bottom. You'll find the off-route alerts there. Enable them then start the navigation.

Your current trip will be tracked, with one important change: a banner on the top that says you'll be alerted if your driver diverts by 500 meters (0.31 miles). This should leave enough room for small adjustments, personal driving preferences, and traffic avoidance, but also let you know if the car goes off-course so you can double-check the current drive. Maybe the re-route makes sense and Maps hadn't seen it as a valid alternative, or maybe something is really wrong — which we all hope is never the case. But at least you'll be alerted and you don't need to stare at your phone for the entire drive to know this.

Getting driving directions from Google Maps is one of its most vital and useful features. To make navigation more effective for the drivers, Google recently added a speedometer in Google Maps to alert you when you may be driving at a higher speed than the set limit for the road or when there might be a speed camera. Now, Google Maps is getting another feature which will help you stay safe while riding a taxi by alerting you every time your ride gets off the route.

To get Maps to track your ride, look for navigation directions to your destination, and tap the Stay safer button in the menu at the bottom. You'll find the off-route alerts there. Enable them then start the navigation.

Your current trip will be tracked, with one important change: a banner on the top that says you'll be alerted if your driver diverts by 500 meters (0.31 miles). This should leave enough room for small adjustments, personal driving preferences, and traffic avoidance, but also let you know if the car goes off-course so you can double-check the current drive. Maybe the re-route makes sense and Maps hadn't seen it as a valid alternative, or maybe something is really wrong — which we all hope is never the case. But at least you'll be alerted and you don't need to stare at your phone for the entire drive to know this.