I took a quick trip to Houston for my dad’s birthday, and I realized that an automatic part of my trip preparations always include calling up the route in the Waze app on my phone.
Then I made a mental note to write this week’s column about why Waze is great. If you drive more than a little, you should try it out.
I first wrote about Waze back in 2012. Waze is owned by Google. It is a navigation app that uses Google map information and combines it with road-condition reports that are submitted by users. Waze uses the data to help calculate the quickest route for your trip.
I noted back then that apps like Waze would be taking the place of dedicated GPS devices and even GPS apps. I think I was right.
I’m sure there are exceptions, but I don’t know anyone who still uses a GPS in their car that’s not part of a built-in navigation system.
My Honda has a navigation system in the stereo, and I do use it a lot around town when I want to see if there’s an alternate route around construction or to see where the roads lead in an unfamiliar part of town.
When I’m headed somewhere that requires driving across town, especially on our freeways, I like to put the address into my Waze app and see what route “the Waze lady” recommends for the quickest trip.
Even if I’m familiar with the route, I’ll let Waze tell me where to go because it will use the crowd-sourced data about accidents and construction delays to change the route if it saves time.
Waze also will alert you about hazards on the road, like cars on the shoulder, and of police vehicles along the route.
You can report things you see on the road by touching a round icon on the Waze map screen. You’ll be presented with a reporting screen with icons to report traffic, police, crash, hazard, gas prices, and road closures.
Making a report can be done in just three clicks. When you touch the report button, the app makes a note of your location, because by the time you finish and hit the submit button you might be a mile down the road.
Waze will also give you an estimated time of arrival that updates as you make the trip, and you can send your ETA to anyone via text message from inside Waze.
You can also link to your friends who use Waze, and if you and a friend are on the way to the same place, you can see each other’s estimated arrival times.
So if you haven’t tried it, take a look at Waze. The app is free, although you will see some ads pop up when you stop in traffic. They don’t get in the way when you drive.
If you’d like a preview of what kind of map information is available, go to Waze.com and check out the live map view.
If you have a favorite app, I'd love to hear about it. Send me an email at jrossman@dallasnews.com
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jim Rossman writes for The Dallas Morning News. He may be reached at jrossman@dallasnews.com.
