Thanks to navigation apps, we can travel to foreign places without getting lost. We can simply type in a destination and the app will create a route for us. However, most apps don't factor in how dangerous roads can be, and Waze aims to resolve that by warning you beforehand.
Waze's Warning System
Navigation apps usually just have one job, getting you from point A to point B. The best that most can do is direct you to a route that will take you the shortest time. With Waze's feature, you can now consider your path based on safety as well.
The latest feature will send you a notification if you're headed to a crash-prone area, which will be based on reports from the Waze community as well as AI analysis. The warning will say "History of crashes," along with the distance of the road it's referring to.
The reports and analysis that are taken into account factors like traffic levels, elevation, and whether it's a highway or a smaller local road, as reported by Engadget. The feature will only become active if you choose to drive to a new road.
If your path puts you on your usual route, the alert will not pop up even though it is an accident-prone area for the sake of avoiding any distractions. Still, it is a helpful feature as you can be more vigilant on roads that have more risks.
Based on the screenshot, the warnings can be displayed even if you are still a mile away from the crash-prone road, which means that you could have enough time to change routes if you want to, or even turn back.
Waze has been an ideal navigation app compared to its competitors, especially with the additional features that you won't be able to find in other apps. It helps you make informed decisions in your travel which can save you from potential detours or accidents.
Other Waze Features
The app is doing its best to make your driving experience as smooth and as convenient as possible. It even has an option where you can use a famous person's voice to say direction guides during your trip.
Other than that, you can also access music apps like Spotify and Pandora without having to exit Waze. All you have to do is tap on the music icon in the upper-right corner. With this shortcut, you'll spend less time with your eyes off the road.
If you're an electric vehicle driver, the Google-owned app has also launched a feature that will take EV charging stations into consideration when planning a route for you. It's a neat addition, especially since most navigation apps only add gas stations to their maps.
Waze also managed to eliminate the issue of outdated information in other apps that do have directions for EV charging stations. With the contributions of local Map Editors, the data on Waze is often current and is regularly reviewed by other users as well.
