WAZE…an app that saves you time and maybe tickets!

By Maureen Crimmins on September 22, 2014 in General

Before I discuss the benefits of the wonderful free app called Waze, I would like to make a disclaimer that I am a bit technologically challenged. I do not have many apps on my phone and find the concept to be a bit overwhelming.

However, Waze is a wonderful tool to use when driving, especially on long trips.

Waze is one of the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation apps.

By connecting drivers to one another, communities work together to improve the quality of everyone’s daily driving. That might mean helping them avoid the frustration of sitting in traffic, alerting them to a police trap or shaving five minutes off of their regular commute by showing them new routes they never even knew about. It allows you to find out about the road closing accident before you enter the highway and are stuck for a long time.

So, how does it work?

After typing in their destination address, users just drive with the app open on their phone to passively contribute traffic and other road data, but they can also take a more active role by sharing road reports on accidents, police traps or any other hazards along the way, helping to give other users in the area a ‘heads-up’ about what’s to come.

Along with the local communities of drivers using the app, Waze is also home to an active community of online map editors who ensure that the data in their areas is as up-to-date as possible.

In addition, if your vehicle has blue tooth capability, Waze will announce the navigated route, traffic accidents and police activity to give you a heads up. The app recently added the ability to search for the cheapest gasoline stations near your current location. You can add information on what your station is charging as well.

So, how helpful was Waze on our ten-hour journey to drop our daughter off at college? It certainly saved me a traffic ticket (or two), which in turn made for an uneventful fight-free trip with Dan. A rarity!

Also, it makes you feel like you are contributing to the overall community and helping your fellow drivers out. Who needs a ticket or traffic jam to ruin a perfectly good day!

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