The Mapbox location platform equips automakers and app developers to create advanced, customized navigation for drivers, including innovative ways to use location information to support safer driving. Two new features of the Mapbox Navigation SDKs are great examples of how Mapbox helps companies to deliver navigation experiences that are clear, precise, and help limit distraction: ‘Incident Ahead’ warnings and ‘Weather Along Route.’

Designing to avoid distraction

Distracted driving is any activity that takes the driver’s attention away from the task of safe driving — including being distracted by a smartphone or even a vehicle’s touchscreen. The consequences of distracted driving can be devastating. In the United States alone, it is estimated that over 324,000 people are injured and over 3,200 people are killed each year in traffic incidents involving distracted drivers. 

Mapbox technology is used by a wide range of automakers and companies that tailor navigation applications to their vehicles, drivers, and brands. While the Mapbox platform gives ultimate flexibility to developers and designers to build whatever they imagine, teams rely on Mapbox frameworks, features, and design patterns to build highly functional navigation experiences, including features to help drivers focus and avoid distractions while driving.

Help reduce in-vehicle distractions with the Mapbox Navigation SDKs

The Mapbox Navigation SDKs includes many features that automakers and app developers can enable to help create clean, efficient, and low-distraction navigation experiences for drivers. Two recently added features are ‘Incident Ahead’ warnings and ‘Weather Along Route.’

The ‘Incident Ahead’ warning feature provides the option to add advance notice of upcoming road incidents a driver might be likely to encounter. The Mapbox map can dynamically display the location of an incident and provide a visual and voice warning describing the situation. Incident events are provided by Mapbox or third-party data providers, and are displayed directly in the navigation experience. Incident Ahead warnings prepare drivers for what may lie around a corner and can contribute to a safer driving experience. 

Similar to incident warnings, Mapbox Navigation SDKs can now provide weather information along the current route. With the ‘Weather Along Route’ feature enabled, drivers can be notified if a severe weather system is likely to intersect their route, helping them to anticipate slippery or low visibility conditions. Weather warnings are useful for any driver who would benefit from a heads-up that conditions could quickly change. For example, drivers towing trailers may wish to pull over and secure their load with a cover before a sudden rainstorm.

Mobile delivery without distraction

Some of the world’s largest on-demand delivery services build their location experiences on Mapbox. A delivery driver typically completes a large number of trips every day, usually under a tight deadline and often in traffic. Statistics alone suggest this combination raises the risk of incidents to drivers and those around them. 

By building routing and navigation functions on Mapbox directly into the driver delivery app, the delivery service can reduce the potential for driver distraction. For example, the delivery service can implement features to ensure drivers are not accepting orders while navigating. 

Integrating navigation directly into a delivery driver app means drivers are not distracted by switching between the delivery app and a navigation app. They can complete active deliveries without worrying about monitoring upcoming orders in the delivery app, and dispatch always knows how the delivery is proceeding. This integrated application approach helps drivers avoid distraction and gives them the peace of mind knowing that what they are doing at that moment is precisely what dispatch needs them to do: focus on safe and distraction-free journeys. 

Drive safely

When bidding friends, family, and loved ones goodbye, “drive safely” is used almost interchangeably as “see you soon.” Technology can help drivers navigate safely, and Mapbox is committed to inventing and improving ways for automakers and app developers to create navigation experiences that reduce distraction and improve safety on the road.

Learn more about Mapbox Navigation solutions.