If you frequently rely on your GPS to travel through unfamiliar territory, then it is a good idea to update its map every few months.  Even if you only use it occasionally, it’s smart to update it at least once every year.  

Before reviewing the reasons why keeping your navigation map up to date is necessary, here are some stats that will blow your mind!

• Across the United States, there were 501,118 miles of road added and 830,008 more miles of road updated in the last 12 months!
• Points Of interest are basically all the places you want to go.  In the last 12 months, there were 236,762 new POIs added, and 23,066 more POIs updated!  Here’s a breakdown of the most popular Points of Interest over the last 12 months:

Courtesy of HERE Maps

• There are “Other Data Points” that have been updated as well.  These include street names and addresses, street signs and speed limits. Over the last 12 months, there have been 4,434,174 Data Points added (4.3 million of those are new addresses!), and 3,260,293 Data Points updated.

These numbers span across all maps for all brands, so the obvious fine print is that these statistics represent updates to HERE map data that may not be available for all navigation systems.

So, if you’re not already convinced to update your navigation map, here are 5 reasons why you should:

1. Save Time

Most people today lead extremely busy lives (especially if you have kids!).  Any delay in your day-to-day schedule will most likely have a ripple effect of negative consequences.  Keeping your GPS up to date is an important way to keep your life on track.

Keeping your map updated on a regular basis will minimize those time-wasting hassles, such as not being able to find that new soccer field, or not being able to find that new development where your friend just moved to.  More importantly, road construction will always be a part of our lives, whether we like it or not (we don’t!).  When you have the latest map update, you will save time when you “drive the highlighted route,” rather than get stuck in construction traffic that you didn’t know was there.

2. Save Fuel (and Money!)

It may seem counter-intuitive to spend money to save money, but that’s exactly what can happen when you purchase a new map update.  Keeping your map up to date will most likely save you lots of money in the long run.  Take a look at Navteq’s Fuel Savings Calculator to see how much money you could save.

An updated GPS map will lower your chances of driving in circles or taking a guess as to which exit will really get you where you need to be.  And it will keep you from taking unexpected time-wasting, fuel-wasting, and money-wasting detours!  With today’s gas prices, it’s probably safe to say that wasting gas on an unexpected detour would be more painful than paying for regular map updates on your GPS system.

3. Stay Safe

This may be the most important one of all.  Of course time and money are extremely valuable, but your well-being trumps all.  If you drive at night or in unfamiliar territory, even if only occasionally, having the latest map update will help you get to your destination without any surprises.

We’ve all seen those people pulled over on the side of the road, trying to figure out how to get where they need to go.  And of course there is always that one car on the shoulder, right past the exit, with reverse lights on, trying to get back in the exit lane.  So dangerous!  A regular navigation map update can stop you from becoming one of those unlucky drivers.  Imagine being pulled off to the side of the road, on an unfamiliar road in an unfamiliar neighborhood, lost, confused and worried about finding your way, alone, at night.  No thank you!  (And could you imagine if your cell phone is dead?)

4. Value of your investment

This might not initially be part of your decision-making process when weighing the option of updating your GPS, but it’s pretty important.  Think about it – you bought that new car, and what’s a new car without new technology?  Of course you want the navigation system.  However, you probably didn’t realize that in a few months the brand new navigation system maps would be outdated, due to the constant updates to roads, addresses, points of interest, etc.  But what’s the point of having a navigation system if you can’t rely on it to navigate you properly?  Having already invested money into having a navigation system, it is absolutely worth it to keep it up to date.

5. Avoid hassles
Refer to the stats up top!  With over 5 million combined Data Points + Miles of Road + Points of Interest added over the last 12 months, and over 4 million updated, it’s easy to see why updating your navigation system map is much more convenient than the hassle of an unfavorable situation caused by outdated location information when you least expect it.

For example, imagine you and a friend stop at a new place to eat in a small mom-and-pop restaurant.  Then when you get the check you realize that they don’t accept credit cards, and you have no cash.  If your GPS maps are up-to-date, your friend could quickly run to the car, search for the closest ATM in your navigation system, drive to pick up cash and return before the waiter comes to collect the bill.  Genius!

In conclusion, continual GPS map updates will help you realize the value of your initial navigation system investment, and the cost to update will pay for itself in saved gas and time.  Plus, regular updates will reduce the chances of an unexpected surprise.  So, make sure you update your navigation map regularly so you can count on your device to get you where you need to go.

Click here to get started on your navigation map update, or select your brand from the navigation bar on the top, bottom, or side of this page.

New maps are released for different brands all throughout the year – make sure you keep coming back to NavigationMapUpdate.com for the latest releases and deals & discounts!