Even though Google is combining the Google Maps and Waze teams, both apps continue to run independently of each other. Just because Waze gets a new feature, you shouldn’t expect to see it available on Google Maps right away. And yes, according to Israeli website Geektime (via The Verge), Waze is testing a new feature that should make driving safer by warning users when they are about to enter a roadway that has a historically high record of hosting an accident according to data garnered from the Waze community.
These riskier roads are highlighted on the app by showing up in red on the map. Geektime says that the feature, by design, might not work on roads that a user takes often. This does make sense when you think about it as someone who drives on a road often is probably familiar with it, has successfully navigated over it, and probably would disregard the warning anyway. On the other hand, someone who is not familiar with a certain stretch of road would probably welcome and obey such a warning.
Waze is testing a warning that tells drivers if a road has a higher than normal history of accidents Image credit-Geektime
The new feature is found in the latest beta version of Waze. You can apply to become a member of the Waze beta team by tapping on this link. In order to prevent drivers from getting too anxious about driving, a pop-up associated with this feature will show up just once. The notification reads, “using reports from drivers and your route, you may see alerts for ‘History of crashes’ on some roads.”
If you would prefer not to be warned, the feature can be disabled by going to My Waze and tapping the gear icon in the upper left corner. From there, tap on Alerts & reports to toggle the feature off. Just a reminder, if you’re not a Waze beta tester, you won’t see this option. If Waze brass is happy with the feedback on this feature, we can expect it on the public version of the app. Eventually, it might even show up on Google Maps.
