Over the past few years, navigation apps, whether it’s Google Maps or Waze, have become an integral part of our lives. These apps tell you a lot more than the current traffic conditions. They give you information about road closures, optimal lanes for driving, speed cameras, flooded roads, roadwork, low visibility, and even police sightings. But you may be wondering how exactly Google Maps, or GPS apps in general, know about real-time incidents like these. As surprising as it may sound, a lot of this real-time data comes from real users, people who are actually driving on those roads.

When it comes to identifying live traffic conditions, GPS apps rely on data being sent from the smartphones of people driving on those stretches of road. Google Maps has also been using machine learning and AI to predict traffic conditions for years now. But that doesn’t help Google Maps detect police sightings. That’s where real users like you come into the picture.

As you drive and use Google Maps for navigation, the app lets you report what you see. These incident reports then appear on the maps of other users driving on the same road. Google Maps takes feedback from other drivers to confirm whether the report is still valid. So, the next time you see a prompt confirming a police sighting ahead, another user may have added it. Apart from that, there’s also the possibility that Google Maps sourced this data from another app.

Crowdsourcing works because Google Maps has millions of users who act as its eyes on the road and, in a way, complement its efforts to gather real-time data. Google doesn’t have to independently identify and verify every police sighting. The users do that for Google Maps. When you report a police sighting, Google Maps then shows it to others driving on the same route. Other drivers can then confirm whether the police are still there, helping Google Maps keep the report up to date.

Its own users are not the only source of real-time information for Google Maps. It also sources reports from Waze, an app owned by Google. Google Maps identifies which reports come from Waze drivers. When it comes to crowdsourcing traffic-related information, Waze is one of the best navigation apps for Android. It has a built-in system to reward users with points for submitting reports. Integrating data from Waze gives Google Maps a larger dataset to work with, allowing it to provide more information to drivers.

Keep in mind that these reports aren’t permanent. They change as the situation evolves. Similarly, you shouldn’t blindly rely on these reports, because it’s essentially users who are submitting them. That’s why many GPS apps have a feedback mechanism to verify whether active reports are still up to date.

It’s not just other users who can submit reports about police sightings or similar incidents on Google Maps; you can do that too. And it’s fairly easy to do so. When using Google Maps in navigation mode, you will find a “Report” icon on your smartphone and on the Android Auto or Apple CarPlay screen. Tap on it, then select “Police,” and your report will be submitted. You should see a small police icon show up at your location. Also, you can enable or disable these alerts in Google Maps through Settings > Navigation > Alert options. Keep in mind that reporting police sightings is not supported in every region. But for users in the United States, the option should be available under the “Add a report” section. 

There are concerns about features that allow drivers to find out about potential police presence. That’s because this can help drivers evade checkpoints by opting for alternate routes. For instance, someone driving under the influence could use these reports to avoid a checkpoint, putting others at risk. But for many drivers, it makes navigation much simpler, reminds them to slow down, and helps them avoid speeding tickets.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It’s no secret that tools are extremely useful but can also be extremely dangerous. There are an estimated one million tool-related injuries per year, including everything from whacking your thumb with a hammer to falling off of a ladder, and yes, those include power tool injuries as well. It’s true that there are some power tools you should avoid anyway, but even for the ones you do end up buying, they can cause you significant injury if used incorrectly or if an accident happens. 

OSHA has a number of suggestions that it encourages everyone to follow, especially if you work around tools all day, and one of them is to use your tools as they were intended. For most tools, that’s pretty obvious. You wouldn’t cut a piece of wood with a drill, for example, but that advice also includes important tidbits like reading the manual, which you should be doing for all of your tools. Manuals are important because they show you how your tool was designed to be used, even if you’ve used another tool like it before.

So, if you’re shopping around Home Depot for some new tools, here’s a list of several tools where you should definitely make sure to read the manual first. 

Table saws are some of the most dangerous tools that money can buy, and one of the most popular such items at Home Depot is the Ryobi 13-Amp 8-1/4-inch Portable Table Saw. This is pretty standard fare as far as table saws go, and includes common features like anti-kickback pawls, a decently designed rip fence, and, of course, the 8-1/4-inch blade. However, Ryobi table saws generally don’t have any flesh-sensing technology, and accidents have been known to happen. Ryobi also has a ONE+ 18V cordless version as well, which has many of the same features but with battery power. 

Approximately 40,000 people end up in the emergency room every year due to table saw accidents, and it’s mostly for the same reason. Table saws spin quickly and have sharp saw blades. Most of them don’t automatically stop quickly even when a body part makes contact, resulting in serious injury. One way to help prevent that is to read Ryobi’s manual, which is available on the company’s website for every tool they sell. This table saw isn’t too special from the other table saw brands available, but there are instructions on how to avoid kickback, proper operation, and other safety tips.

It’s no secret that angle grinders are one of the most nerve-racking tools, even for professionals. They spin ridiculously fast, and if used incorrectly, can shatter the blade, sending shrapnel everywhere at high speeds. There are tons of excellent angle grinders on the market, and the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Cordless 4-1/2-inch Angle Grinder is one of them. It allows for up to 135 cuts per charge, spins at 8,500 RPM, and is compatible with Milwaukee’s upgraded high-output batteries. It also comes with some typical stuff, like a tool-free guard, decently easy wheel changes, and an anti-vibration handle to help with safety. 

Milwaukee typically puts the downloadable manual on the product page on its website for each tool, although sometimes you may have to search for it using the model number. Like most manuals, Milwaukee has tons of safety tips and proper usage directions in its manual, like angling your body to resist kickback forces and using caution when dealing with corner pieces. Milwaukee also recommends never attempting curved cuts, as this can increase wheel breakage. Angle grinders cause approximately 5,400 injuries per year, and many of these injuries may be preventable if you follow the tips outlined in the manual. 

Chainsaws are a common tool. They’re good for cleaning up trees and other wood messes, and are used extensively by landscapers, arborists, and forestry workers. Typical DIYers at home don’t have as much of an occasion to use them, so there is a skill gap there versus professionals. Those factors no doubt contribute to the nearly 25,000 injuries caused by chainsaws every year. There are plenty of great chainsaws out there, and the DeWalt 20V MAX 12-inch Chainsaw is one of them. 

This is a good one because it’s not too long, making it good for DIY work, and it’s cordless, so you can use the battery with other DeWalt tools that you’ll probably use more often. DeWalt also makes finding the manual quite easy since it’s usually just listed on the product page on DeWalt’s website. DeWalt writes a decent manual too, since it comes with picture instructions for assembly and part replacement along with a swatch of safety tips and instructions for use. Of particular note is the maintenance section, which recommends regularly checking and filling the auto-oil reservoir and provides clear instructions for replacing the chain. Doing both of those will help reduce injuries as well since a dull, unlubricated chain can cause all sorts of issues.

Woodworking is generally cool but can be quite dangerous. Planers, joiners, and other woodworking machinery account for a little over 10,000 injuries per year, and so while they may not put up the same numbers as sharper power tools, they should still definitely be used with care. Something like the Makita 6.5-amp 3-1/4-inch Corded Planar fits into this category. It’s a pretty standard corded tool that comes with a 3-1/4-inch planer that should work well enough for most DIY tasks. Makita houses the downloadable PDF manual on the product page, making it easy to find if you bought this secondhand or lost your original. 

Planers have loads of different settings, and so reading the manual can help you not only avoid injury, but also simply use the tool properly and not ruin whatever project you’re working on. The safety tips are pretty typical, like not wearing loose or dangling jewelry around your planer, but there are some specialized tips in there too, like proper cord lengths and gauges to make sure the tool is getting adequate power, and detailed assembly and care instructions. There are also instructions to connect a vacuum cleaner if you don’t want sawdust everywhere.

I remember using a band saw in shop class as a kid and feeling intrinsically nervous around it. The blade is pretty thin, and it stays still while I move, so I always practiced proper safety to make sure I didn’t accidentally take off a finger. If you pick one up, the Wen 2.8-Amp 9-inch Band Saw is a decent option. It can sit on top of your work surface, which means it’s movable if you need it to move. The motor moves the blade at 2,500 feet per minute, and it has a fairly large worktable for its size. Like most others, Wen houses the online manual on the product page, and it downloads as a PDF if you want it offline. 

Band saws account for about 3,550 injuries per year, which is quite a lot. That means the manual is worth reading. Inside is a bunch of safety tips, ranging from all-around safety stuff like making sure the floor isn’t slippery to more specialized safety advice like stopping use if the blade starts to bend funny or putting up a blade guard after each use. There are also instructions on changing the blade and other components.

Welding tools get very hot, very bright, and are powered by potentially dangerous gases if those gases are held improperly. The NFPA says that nearly half a million welding injuries occur yearly, and that hot work was responsible for nearly 3,400 structure fires annually between 2017 and 2021. That makes them one of the most dangerous tools you can get. Thus, if you do get something like the Ridgid 180-Amp Electric TIG Welder, one of the first things we’d recommend you do is open the manual and give it a read. Ridgid houses a manual and a quick start guide on its product pages, so they’re pretty easy to find. 

Both of these documents are quite useful. The quick start guide includes instructions on how to properly connect your TIG welder to your gas tank and lets you know that it only supports argon gas. There are also troubleshooting tips in case things don’t work quite right out of the box. The manual goes into much more detail, including insisting that the user wear eye and body protection. It also warns against fumes and vapors, explains how to prevent fires, and covers ways to prevent electric shock. All of those things can cause serious injury, so read the manual. 

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Happy Gilmore,” then you probably already know why proper nail gun safety is important. Today’s nail guns are plentiful, and you can even get cordless, battery-powered ones like the Ryobi HP 18V AirStrike Brad Nailer. This little guy can fire over 2,200 nails per charge, and it’s designed for easy visibility when you need to drive a lot of nails. Like its other tools, Ryobi houses the manuals for its tools on its product pages, so they’re easy to find. Ryobi also has a whole article on brad nailer safety on top of what it lists in its manuals. The advice should apply to all of Ryobi’s many nail guns. 

Ryobi’s manual is pretty simple, with instructions on setup and use. Safety tips are also pretty simple for nail guns. Wear eye protection, don’t put any body parts in front of where the nail gun shoots nails, never carry the tool with your finger on the trigger, and don’t point it at anyone. Nail gun injury statistics aren’t readily available, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that two in five carpentry apprentices hurt themselves with one at some point. 

Miter saws are important to woodworking, letting you make all sorts of cuts. They’re quite different from a circular saw, and beginners may want to do a little bit of research before choosing one or the other for a specific job. A good choice for this one is the DeWalt 15-Amp Double Bevel Compound Miter Saw. It spins its blades at 3,800 RPM and supports a lot of different sizes and bevels. It’s probably overkill for many DIYers, but it’s the definition of the phrase “buy once, cry once” since it’ll handle just about everything. 

If you do pick one up, DeWalt has two documents for you. The first is a parts diagram that shows you how to take the thing almost entirely apart in case you need to make repairs and want to safely put it back together. The other is the standard manual with tips on safety and instructions on use. Of note here are instructions on how to properly remove and connect a new blade, the various ways to safely adjust the miter saw, and various general tips about safety, like wearing eye protection and being careful of breathing in sawdust, which can increase the risk of cancer with prolonged or excessive exposure.

We’ve already talked about welding and how many people get injured from it. Soldering isn’t too different in that it’s a similar process to welding, but on a much smaller scale and with admittedly safer tools. Soldering irons don’t cause a high number of catastrophic injuries, but they can cause quite a lot of damage to the items around them, especially if handled improperly. Home Depot sells the Weller 30W Soldering Iron, which is a decent entry-level soldering iron for those starting out. It comes with an LED ring to light up your workspace and several tip designs to solder different types of things. 

If you’ve never read a soldering iron manual before, it’s worth your time. Weller keeps its manuals on product pages like most other toolmakers, so they’re pretty easy to find. Soldering irons are all about skill rather than complex moving parts, so once you get the gist of the basics, like not soldering near flammable liquids and making sure the soldering iron is off if you’re not using it, you’re pretty much ready to go. Most common soldering mistakes can happen with any soldering iron, like choosing the wrong temperature, so make sure to do additional research as well if you’ve never done it before. 

Circular saws are quite powerful and can be used in a lot of different ways. I personally used one to cut pieces of wood to repair the underside of my sink just this year. They’re also fairly inexpensive, like this Milwaukee M18 Fuel Cordless 6-1/2-inch Circular Saw. It’s strong enough for DIY tasks and can make up to 300 cuts per charge, depending on the size of the battery and the size of the cut. The saw blade is also a standard size, making replacements quite easy. The manual is easily found on Milwaukee’s product page. 

Circular saws can be rather dangerous, with over 40,000 circular saw accidents per year. It’s easy to see why. These are handheld saws that spin quickly and can get out of sorts quickly if you’re not careful. The manual covers all of this, like keeping fingers away from the cutting area, not using your leg as a brace for the piece you’re cutting, and making sure to replace the blade with the correct washers so that it holds in place. It also encourages users to always check that the blade guard is in place before setting it down. The manual also covers blade replacements and other repairs. 

Mowing the lawn is something a lot of people do every week, and yet there are quite a lot of injuries that stem from it. Roughly 85,000 injuries occur yearly from mowing the lawn, which includes 6,400 serious injuries and 70 fatalities, with over 9,000 of those injuries happening to kids under the age of 18. So, if you’re buying something like the Ryobi 40V HP 20-inch Lawn Mower, there are some things you should know. The mower itself is pretty good; I own one, and it’s been working fine for six years now. The manual for it is available on the mower’s product page. 

Generally speaking, the advice in Ryobi’s manual for its lawn mowers is simple and only really deals with how to use it, so we’ll take up the mantle and add some safety tips here. Don’t wear open-toed shoes while mowing, make sure the blade comes to a complete stop before flipping the mower over, and don’t let kids under the age of 12 use it at all. Don’t ride in tandem with riding mowers, and don’t mow in wet grass to avoid slipping and sliding your foot up under the mower. Also, check your yard before mowing to remove anything your mower could turn into a projectile. 

String trimmers are dangerous for pretty obvious reasons. They whip the string around very quickly, and if any of that touches your body, it’s going to hurt quite a lot. There are an estimated 4,600 injuries occurring yearly due to string trimmers, and most of them come from string trimmers throwing stones, sticks, and other objects at high speeds right back at you. There’s another important thing too. A lot of today’s string trimmers, like the DeWalt Flexvolt 60V String Trimmer, allow for attachments. You can take off the string trimmer attachment and put other tools on instead. Many toolmakers do this, and many people don’t know about the various attachments. 

So, going to the manufacturer’s website and grabbing the manual is just half the battle. String trimmer safety is mostly just about avoiding rocks, wearing eye protection in case something is thrown at you, and not letting the string touch you. However, if you do get one of these newfangled attachment-capable string trimmers, you’ll also want to download the manual for those attachments to get safety tips for each tool. For example, one attachment for the DeWalt is an edger attachment that has its own manual. So, make sure to read the manuals for all of them and not just the base tool. 

This isn’t a product recommendation article, so for this list, we chose tools from a variety of toolmakers that were all included because they were competent options in their space with positive and plentiful user reviews, showing that a lot of people buy these tools. The tool categories chosen were selected because they were shown to have a high number of injuries, serious or otherwise, or property damage that is often caused by misuse of the tool. The numbers for these incidents come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic studies, and authorities like OSHA and the NFPA. 

In short, these are the types of tools that loads of people buy and that cause a lot of injury to people every year, so they are the exact types of tools where you would want to read the manual. We also chose from a variety of toolmakers to show that most toolmakers provide freely accessible manual downloads online through their website product page. Every tool above has a manual that you can find with a simple Google search, even from toolmakers that beginners may not know, like Wen and Weller.