Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
You've probably noticed that GPS navigation and turn-by-turn directions are getting worse. Turns out the reason why this is happening is simple—but the fix is very much not.
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Starting in the late 1990s, satellite navigation for drivers was a relatively simple system. Your car or GPS device pinged satellites to determine your location, and the software calculated the most optimal way to your destination based purely on the map. So the route was usually the same, and logically followed major roads.
Everything began to change in the late 2000s, when realtime traffic data was introduced. GPS nav wasn't operating in a vacuum anymore. Now, the system is able to see how many other cars are on a route, calculate the extra time that traffic will add, and suggest alternative routes that might be less direct or logical but will take less time overall.
Problem is, as turn-by-turn directions reached mass adoption, this ran headlong into what's known as Brace’s Paradox, a mathematical model that shows that any flowing system gets slower when too many paths are presented within it.
Basically, as map app algorithms send millions of drivers down alternate routes every day, they're spreading traffic out into secondary streets, which forces them to calculate even crazier alternate routes to stay one step ahead, which makes congestion even less predictable. It's a vicious cycle.
Academic studies have shown that dynamic navigation works best when it's used by between 30-60% of drivers in a given area. Above 60%, it starts to get oversaturated and both traffic and directions get worse.
So the real fix is for less people to use GPS navigation on a daily basis. But I wouldn't count on that.
Produced by → instagram.com/rassoolracing
Hosted by → instagram.com/kylecheromcha
Previous episode → youtube.com/watch?v=26-4oARwfF4
The Drive is an automotive news site for enthusiasts. We write stories you actually want to read. → thedrive.com
FOLLOW US!
Instagram → instagram.com/thedrive
Facebook → facebook.com/thedrive
Threads → threads.com/@thedrive
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WORK WITH US → youtube@thedrive.com
0:00 The dark side of sat nav
0:44 How GPS works
1:59 What's changed
5:08 The point of collapse
6:25 What's the fix?
You've probably noticed that GPS navigation and turn-by-turn directions are getting worse. Turns out the reason why this is happening is simple—but the fix is very much not.
**Use WD-40 Specialist® Contact Cleaner anywhere electronics get dirty. It safely removes oil, residue, and condensation from your critical connections without leaving anything behind. Shop Now [bit.ly/4fuV7vK]**
Starting in the late 1990s, satellite navigation for drivers was a relatively simple system. Your car or GPS device pinged satellites to determine your location, and the software calculated the most optimal way to your destination based purely on the map. So the route was usually the same, and logically followed major roads.
Everything began to change in the late 2000s, when realtime traffic data was introduced. GPS nav wasn't operating in a vacuum anymore. Now, the system is able to see how many other cars are on a route, calculate the extra time that traffic will add, and suggest alternative routes that might be less direct or logical but will take less time overall.
Problem is, as turn-by-turn directions reached mass adoption, this ran headlong into what's known as Brace’s Paradox, a mathematical model that shows that any flowing system gets slower when too many paths are presented within it.
Basically, as map app algorithms send millions of drivers down alternate routes every day, they're spreading traffic out into secondary streets, which forces them to calculate even crazier alternate routes to stay one step ahead, which makes congestion even less predictable. It's a vicious cycle.
Academic studies have shown that dynamic navigation works best when it's used by between 30-60% of drivers in a given area. Above 60%, it starts to get oversaturated and both traffic and directions get worse.
So the real fix is for less people to use GPS navigation on a daily basis. But I wouldn't count on that.
Produced by → instagram.com/rassoolracing
Hosted by → instagram.com/kylecheromcha
Previous episode → youtube.com/watch?v=26-4oARwfF4
The Drive is an automotive news site for enthusiasts. We write stories you actually want to read. → thedrive.com
FOLLOW US!
Instagram → instagram.com/thedrive
Facebook → facebook.com/thedrive
Threads → threads.com/@thedrive
Bluesky → https://bsky.app/profile/thedrive.com
WORK WITH US → youtube@thedrive.com
0:00 The dark side of sat nav
0:44 How GPS works
1:59 What's changed
5:08 The point of collapse
6:25 What's the fix?
