2022
FYI, I have already submitted this idea through the Google Maps app. But if you find this idea helpful I encourage you to submit it there as well. Maybe with enough suggestions they will make these changes.
Ever since the dawn of Internet video, fail videos have been a source of entertainment and wasted afternoons for many people (including myself) and 11foot8.com is one such site that has successfully embraced this phenomenon.
While it's definitely fun to watch; if I put on my Local Guides hat for a second, I can't help but think about how/why people are still crashing into this bridge. But if you watch closely; you start to notice a pattern.
See how a lot of those accidents tend to be moving trucks and RVs? You know, vehicles that regular people can rent/buy, vehicles that drive a lot like an ordinary car/truck/van, and are typically used for traveling to areas that people may not be as familiar with (especially in a taller vehicle)?
Well that last statement is probably the biggest tell about how involved Google Maps may actually be in these accidents.
Users may be using apps like Google Maps for directions to places that they are unfamiliar with (that's when I tend to use directions the most) and apps like these are assuming that they're driving a normal sized vehicle.
And I'm not the first person to have this idea. Just search for "Low Clearance Warning app for vehicles" on Google and you'll see other apps that claim to have this feature, articles on travel sites about these dangers, or whole discussion boards based around this topic (even ours to some degree).
Come on Google Maps team, I'm sure you have the information (Street View), the ability to read that information on those photos through AI technology, the programming skills, and the wealth of historical accident information from Google Maps/Waze to determine areas to focus on first.
So why not prioritize on a feature that there seems to be demand for and could prevent further injuries and property damage?
Anyhow, as always I'd love to hear feedback from the Local Guides community. Do you wish they would include this feature? Have any ideas to make it better?
Also please Kudo this article so it shows how much demand there is. Thank you.