The community-backed navigation app Waze is rolling out a new safety feature called Crash History Alerts. As the name suggests, it's designed to alert drivers whenever they approach a road that is prone to accidents.
The feature uses artificial intelligence, historical crash data, and critical route information such as usual traffic levels, type of road, elevation, etc. to warn drivers about a crash-prone road. It displays crash history alerts before the driver reaches a crash-prone section of their journey.
For the uninitiated, Waze offers real-time information about various things such as traffic, construction, crashes, police, and even low gas prices along a route. The app relies on its network of drivers who can report issues as they travel along a stretch of road.
Waze was originally developed and released in 2006 by Israel-based Waze Mobile. While the navigation app profited from the Apple Maps fiasco, Google acquired Waze in 2013 for $1.3 billion.
"At Waze, we believe driving goes beyond just transportation – it’s about helping every driver make smart decisions on the road. By continuing to bring more safety features to your rides, Waze aims to give greater peace of mind on every one of your drives," Waze said in a blog post.
Waze crash history alerts feature has been in development for almost a year now. The feature has been tested as part of several beta releases since December last year. It's worth noting that crash history alerts don't appear for roads more frequented by a driver. This is done to minimize distractions for the driver while they are on the road, the company said.
While the feature may not be as fancy as getting navigation updates in Tennis star Roger Federer's voice, it can help drivers with some critical information when taking a particular route. It could be life-saving in some cases as Waze said its users across the globe report an accident about every two seconds.
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