More and more drivers are using Google Maps’ in-car features, including speed camera warning, to drive safely. However, it is good to remember that this is not the only alternative we have, neither on the cell phone nor on the car screen with Android Auto.
In fact, many drivers prefer to use Waze, one of these alternatives. Which is ironic, because although Waze started out as a standalone app, it’s now also owned by Google and many of its features have been applied to Google Maps, and vice versa.
This does not mean that Waze has been abandoned by Google, as demonstrated by the latest update which is already reaching the first users. The great advantage of Waze is its community of users, who help each other by adding important information for our trips; To do this, they can add information such as the presence of road accidents or streets under constructionwhich can help us choose another route.
Waze’s latest update adds new types of road hazards, which users can report to warn other drivers. Concretely, now Waze also warns of speed bumps, sharp turns and tolls; These warnings are in addition to others that were already present in the application, such as potholes on the road, level crossings and vehicles stopped on the road. These alerts will tell us how far away the danger is, and give us the opportunity to react before it is too late, or simply modify our behavior to adapt.
The usefulness of these opinions is obvious. Although speed bumps should be clearly visible and signposted, in practice many are difficult to see and can cause inconvenience, or even accidents, if used at high speeds. Sharp turn warning can also be very useful when visiting new places; These may be turns that are known to local drivers because of their dangerousness and which can mislead someone from outside.
Waze app for Android
Free Android
Finally, the toll notice will help us start braking at the right time, avoiding reaching the toll zone at a dangerous speed; Many accidents happen because of this type of confusion. Additionally, this notice may remind us that we are on a toll road, if we had not realized it before.
As usual, these new features are arriving to all users little by little; It is important to keep the application updated on your mobile to be able to use the new functions, although we may have to wait a bit if we don’t have them yet.