Launched in November 2023, the app identifies these roads based on user-submitted reports, as well as analysis of the route’s traffic, elevation, turns and type (highway or local street) performed by the app’s artificial intelligence algorithm. It also considers the user’s personal driving habits when determining whether to send an alert – for example, it won’t send them for roads a user drives along frequently. The idea isn’t to make drivers overly cautious, but to boost their confidence in new environments and let them know when extra attention is warranted.
This update speaks to consumers’ desire for services that act as a second brain, especially when it comes to judging threats to personal safety. As we discuss in Safety in Turbulent Times, many people have become habituated to neighbourhood-watch apps to monitor local issues, making them more likely to seek out these types of services in other sectors. Waze’s road alerts demonstrate how such services can be translated to other concerns without making consumers unduly anxious. Expect this second-brain concept to expand to other sectors as people seek reassurance and security.
For more on safety, see Tech that Protects. For more on how apps are enhancing people’s mobility experiences, see The Micro-Mobility Shift.
Navigation App Waze Introduces Road Safety Alerts
Published 14 December 2023
2 min read
Google-owned navigation app Waze has introduced a feature that alerts drivers if they’re on a road with a higher-than-average incidence of crashes. While the notifications aim to improve safety by heightening people’s awareness of possible threats (from potholes to reckless drivers), they also reflect consumers’ eagerness for tech that bolsters their sense of personal safety.