Waze is a navigation app appreciated by many. One of the reasons Waze is so effective in guiding you to your destination is that it relies on user reports and data to deliver the best possible directions. If you, too, would like to contribute to improving Waze, this tutorial shows how to report a road hazard and other incidents on Waze.
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How to Report a Crash on Waze
You’ll need the Waze app or Waze on Android Auto or CarPlay to start reporting, as this function is not available in the Waze Live Map browser version.
Open the Waze app, create your route, and tap the + in a yellow triangle that appears on top of the estimated arrival time.
In the What do you see menu at the bottom, tap on the Crash option.
Select the option that describes what you’re currently seeing, then tap the Report button.
The event will appear on the map. Your Waze username should automatically appear next to it.
Reports will appear on the map for a certain amount of time, determined by the number of Waze users who react to it. If you’ve spotted a report someone else made, you’ll have to ignore it. The only option you have is to like the report prolonging the time it appears on the map.
To avoid making an incorrect report, only report incidents on Waze that you see in real time. Don’t add them afterward.
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How to Report Road Hazards on Waze
If you stumbled upon a road hazard, you can report it on Waze by pressing the yellow triangle button and selecting Hazard.
There are a few options, including Construction, Broken traffic light, and Pothole.
Tap on the road hazard you noticed, and press Report, and the app will send and place your report automatically on the map.
How to Report Police Sightings on Waze
If you encounter police on the road and want to alert the other drivers to their presence, press the yellow triangle button, and select Police.
Select one of the options, and continue by pressing the Report button.
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How to Report Road Closures on Waze
Waze also lets you alert others of any road closures. Hit the triangle button in the map app, and select Closure.
Tap one of the arrows to mark a road closure, depending on your current location. Press the Send button.
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Report Additional Incidents on Waze
Waze allows you to report a few other important things for fellow drivers. You’ll find them under the same menu as the other options.
- Traffic – lets you add notifications for Waze traffic incidents, such as when the traffic is heavy or has reached a standstill.
- Bad weather – alerts other drivers to weather issues, such as slippery roads, floods, or icy roads.
- Blocked lanes – highlights inaccessible lanes on a given route.
- Map issues – helps Waze users report any issues related to map functionality, including wrong driving directions, missing exits, or incorrect junctions.
Keep in mind that Waze limits the number of times a user can report issues to limit the chances of spam and incorrect reporting. Google recommends that you try to abstain from reporting more than one instance per minute. Once Waze flags you for excessive reporting, you may face a temporary block from the app.
Now that you know how to report issues in Waze, it may be time to expand your knowledge of using the app. Learn how to add a stop in Waze or safely control Spotify from Waze and Google Maps.
Image credit: Freepik. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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