What "Risky Drive" Means on Life360 & What Causes It

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Learn why you’re getting this notification (and how to stop it)

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: May 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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What is a “Risky Drive”?

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How Drive Detection Works

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Other Risky Drive Triggers

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Disabling Risky Drive Notifications

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FAQ

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Video

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Tips

If you get a “Risky Drive” notification from Life360, then it’s sensing you or someone in your circle is being unsafe. While the notification is vague, there are specific reasons why it may have triggered, even if you weren’t driving. Keep reading, and we’ll cover what a Risky Drive means and reasons why it triggers if you’re not driving. Plus, we’ll cover how to stop the notifications from popping up.

What is a Risky Drive on Life 360?

A Risky Drive is when Life360 senses that you’re distracted or driving unsafely. It may trigger if you use your phone, speed, accelerate suddenly, or brake suddenly. It may falsely trigger if you’re a passenger or if you’re using a streaming app to listen to music.

Section 1 of 5:

What is “Risky Drive” on Life360?

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A “Risky Drive” means Life360 is detecting unsafe driving habits. When you have Life360 Drive Detection enabled, your device’s location and activity are tracked. If the app senses any unsafe or reckless behaviors while you’re driving, it will send a “Risky Drive” notification to your Circle. Risky behaviors include:^{[1]
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- Using your phone while you’re driving: including texting, making calls, and using other apps
- Speeding: going 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) for 30 seconds or longer
- Hard braking: coming to an abrupt stop or dropping 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) in speed in 1 second
- Rapid acceleration: speeding up by more than 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) in 1 second

Section 2 of 5:

How does Life360 detect a risky drive?

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Life360 tracks changes to your speed and location when you’re driving. Life360 has Drive Detection settings you can turn on for the members of your circle. If you travel at least ¹⁄₂ mile (0.80 km) and go faster than 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) at any point, Life360 registers it as driving.^{[2]
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- Drive Detection will not log a drive if:
  - You have less than 10% battery
  - You have battery-saving settings turned on
  - You have a weak cell signal
  - You don’t have Life360 allowed to run in the background
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Everyone in your Circle needs Drive Detection turned on. Driving Detection won’t log anyone as driving if one of the members in your Circle has the setting turned off. Otherwise, the app will log any traveling as a “Trip” instead of a “Drive.”^{[3]
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- To turn on Drive Detection, open the Life360 app and follow these directions:
  - Tap on Settings in the top left corner of the screen.
  - Select Drive Detection from the list.
  - Switch Drive Detection to On.

Section 3 of 5:

What else triggers “Risky Drive” on Life360?

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Life360 automatically assumes that you’re the driver when it detects you’re in a vehicle. If you use your phone or if the person driving is being a little unsafe, then your device may still send a Risky Drive notification.
If you play music while you’re driving from a YouTube playlist, Life360 may think you’re actively using your phone. Because it senses phone activity, your Circle will get a notification for a Risky Drive.

Section 4 of 5:

How to Stop “Risky Drive” Notifications on Life360

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Switch to a passenger instead of a driver. Even though the app automatically logs you as a driver when it detects a Drive, you can switch to a passenger during or after the trip. To change to a passenger:^{[4]
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- Select the Circle member you want from the Location tab.
- Pull up from the bottom of the screen and choose the drive you’re editing.
- Tap the car icon in the top right corner.
- Change the role from Driver to Passenger.
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Put your phone in Airplane mode or turn it off. Life360 can only track your location if your phone is on and it has strong cell service. Go into your phone settings and switch it into Airplane mode so Life360 doesn’t log the trip. Alternatively, turn your phone off if you don’t plan on using it while you’re driving.
- Other members of your Circle will see the “No network or phone off” message and your last known location when you had service.
- While you can turn off location sharing or log out of Life360 to prevent tracking, Circle members will see a message that you shut off your location or logged out. If you don’t want members of your Circle to be suspicious, turning off service and explaining you had a weak signal is more believable.
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Turn off alerts for other members of your Circle. If you’re getting Risky Drive notifications from other people in your Circle, you can turn them off so you don’t see them. This allows the drives to still be logged in the app without receiving any notifications. To turn off alerts:
- Tap Settings in the top left corner.
- Select Smart Notifications from the list.
- Choose Safe Drive Notifications.
- Choose the people in your Circle you don’t want notifications from.

Section 5 of 5:

Life360 Drive Detection FAQ

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Why does Life360 say I’m driving when I’m not? If you go faster than 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) and travel more than ¹⁄₂ mile (0.80 km), then Life360 thinks that you’re in a moving vehicle. The app automatically lists you as the driver for the trip, even if you’re just a passenger.^{[5]
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Does Life360 report risky driving to the police? Life360 doesn’t report your information to police when you’re speeding or if you get a Risky Driving notification. Only members of your Circle will see the information.^{[6]
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- Police may be able to access your Life360 records if you’re involved in an accident or if they have a legal reason to check.
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How do I avoid “Risky Drive” notifications from Life360? Drive safely, and you won’t have to worry about any notifications. Follow the speed limit and obey all the traffic laws for your area. Stay aware of your surroundings and pay attention to the road. Put away your phone so you’re not distracted by it.^{[7]
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
U.S. government agency responsible for writing and enforcing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

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- If there’s bad weather or poor visibility, drive slower than the speed limit so you’re able to react quicker to any hazards.
- Avoid driving if you’re feeling sleepy or have been drinking alcohol because it can impair your senses and make it unsafe for you and other drivers.