How-To

How to Report an Accident in Google Maps

By Adam Davidson

Updated January 12, 2024

Reporting an accident in Google Maps allows other users to avoid the area. Here’s how to report an accident in Google Maps.

Google Maps is one of the most popular navigation applications on the planet. In fact, it’s hard to remember how we ever found our way around with the help of apps such as Google Maps or Apple Maps. With turn-by-turn navigation for driving, or even when you’re hiking, apps like Google Maps make getting from point A to point B a piece of cake.

Sometimes, however, there may be problems along the way. If there’s a traffic collision on your route, this can cause serious delays to your journey. Thankfully, there’s a way for Google Maps users to report traffic incidents and other issues directly within the app. This information is then shared with other Google Maps users so that they can avoid the affected areas. If you see a traffic collision when you’re navigating, then here’s how to report an accident in Google Maps.

How to Report a Crash in Google Maps

Reporting a crash in Google Maps is quick and easy to do through the iOS or Android apps. You can report a crash in a couple of taps.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone.
2. Start a navigation; you will only be able to report a crash when navigating using Google Maps.
3. When you encounter a crash, tap the Speech Bubble icon on the side of the screen.
   
4. Alternatively, tap the journey information at the bottom of the screen and select Add a Report.
   
5. Select Crash.
   
6. You’ll see a message indicating that a crash report is being added at your current location.
7. You can tap Confirm or do nothing until the Confirm button turns completely darker blue to submit your crash report.
   
8. If you don’t want to submit the crash report, you’ll need to tap Cancel before the Confirm button turns dark blue.
   
9. Once your crash has been submitted, it will be visible to other Google Maps users in the location.

When to Report a Crash in Google Maps

Reporting an accident in Google Maps can be useful to help other drivers avoid the location of the accident, but you should never put yourself or other road users at risk in order to submit your report. Submitting a report while driving can distract you from the road and may be against the law in your location.

The safest option is to ask a passenger to report the crash, or to find a safe space to pull over and report your crash. Remember that Google Maps uses your current location for the report, so if you can’t stop in the immediate vicinity of the accident, your crash report will not be accurate.

How to Report Other Incidents in Google Maps

Accidents aren’t the only type of report you can submit in Google Maps. There are other useful reports you can make that can help other Google Maps users avoid delays or other issues. You can even report speed traps so that other users can use Google Maps’ built-in speedometer to ensure that they aren’t speeding.

As with reporting an accident in Google Maps, you should only submit these reports when it is safe to do so. These reports are also based on your location, so you’ll need to be close to the area of the incident that you want to report.

1. Open Google Maps on your phone.
2. Start navigating.
3. When you need to report something, tap the Speech Bubble icon.
   
4. You can also tap the navigation information at the bottom of the screen and tap Add a Report.
   
5. Choose the type of report you want to make. You can add reports for speed traps, slow traffic, construction, lane closures, disabled vehicles, or objects on the road.
   
6. Tap Confirm or allow the Confirm button to turn completely darker blue to submit your report.
   
7. If you want to cancel your report, tap Cancel before the Confirm button has turned completely dark blue.
   

What Do I Need to Report an Accident in Google Maps?

In order to report an accident in Google Maps, you’ll need to be using the app on your mobile device. The report uses your location information as part of the report, so it’s not possible to submit an accident report on desktop. You’ll also need to be sure that you have location services turned on and that Google Maps has the relevant permissions. The Google Maps reporting feature is available on both Android and iOS in more than 40 different countries.