Google Maps uses green, orange and red lines to show traffic conditions: green means no traffic delays, orange means a medium amount of traffic, and red means delays. Darker red indicates slower traffic. Symbols mark incidents such as crashes, construction or closures; a dotted red line marks the closed section of a road. Gray or blue lines may show your route rather than traffic conditions.
What do the Google Maps traffic colors mean?
Google describes the color code as showing “the speed of traffic on the road,” but its legend gives qualitative categories rather than specific speed thresholds.
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| Map color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | No traffic delays. |
| Orange | A medium amount of traffic. |
| Red | Traffic delays; darker red indicates slower traffic. |
Google does not publish mph or km/h cutoffs for these colors, so a red segment does not correspond to one fixed speed or delay percentage.
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Incident icons identify events on or near the road, including crashes, construction, road closures and other incidents. Select or tap an icon to see the details available for that event. An incident marker is not another level on the green-to-red congestion scale.
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- Bright, high-resolution 5” glass capacitive touchscreen display lets you easily view your route
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A dotted red line marks the part of a road that is closed. This is different from a solid red traffic line, which indicates delays.
Why are some route lines gray or blue?
Gray and blue lines can indicate a route on the map. They are not additional traffic-speed colors. To interpret a line, check whether it is showing a route or whether the traffic layer is coloring the road; not every colored line represents congestion.
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- 7” high-resolution navigator includes map updates of North America .Special Feature:Easy-To-Read Display; Voice Assist; Hands-Free Calling; Live Traffic and Weather; Traffic Cams and Parking; Smart Notifications,Driver Alerts; Tripadvisor; National Parks Directory; Find Places by Name; Garmin Real Directions Feature.
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How to turn on the traffic layer
- On a computer: Open Layers, choose More, then select Traffic.
- On Android or iOS: Tap Layers, then select Traffic under map details.
Google says traffic information is not available everywhere. The layer may therefore show limited or no traffic detail in some areas. Interface wording can also vary by platform or change over time. See Google Maps Help: View traffic on the map and Google Maps Help for iOS.
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- CarPlay and Android Auto: This plug-in device connects to your phone via Bluetooth and WiFi. To use CarPlay, connect an iPhone; to use Android Auto, connect an Android phone. Simply connect it to your smartphone and access map navigation, calling, email, notifications, music, and more.
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- 8” navigator with high-resolution, dual-orientation display and map updates of North America .Special Feature:Large Display; Voice Assist; Hands-Free Calling; Live Traffic and Weather; Traffic Cams and Parking; Smart Notifications,Driver Alerts; Tripadvisor; National Parks Directory; Find Places by Name; Garmin Real Directions Feature.
- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, weather, parking and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
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