Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister swears by it, but it seems ridiculous to me. We had to follow each other somewhere, and she texted that she was going to go around traffic the way Wade was suggesting. I stayed the course and we actually arrived at the exact same time (well, I was at the red light coming from one way as she was pulling in from the other.) She had gone waaay out of her way, even going through quite a few residential neighborhoods. Of course I sat in traffic, which I guess can be frustrating, but it wasn’t as though I arrived that much later than her.

I was discussing his with my husband and he assumed Waze was created for those who would rather drive 25mph and stop at tons of stop signs than sit in traffic at a more direct route. Is this pretty much accurate?

My kids would follow Waze off a cliff. Waze will also take you through neighborhoods that can get you killed.

well this one is true. DH commutes from LA to Orange County for work. Many times he has been re-routed and ended up in freaking Compton. other times though, it's been a life-saver.

Don't forget the usefulness in showing speed traps. Waze has saved me from countless tickets.

Anonymous wrote:Waze prioritizes keeping your wheels moving, not actually getting there faster. I once had a driver take me through Virginia and then Maryland to get home, from downtown DC to NW DC. It was freaking ridiculous, and all to avoid a 10-block stretch of traffic in Columbia Heights. Now if I'm in a Lyft and they're using it I take over and direct the ride.

Taking the GW Parkway to 495 and coming back into NW DC is sometimes quicker than navigating from downtown to NW. Well, before that sinkhole opened up on the GW Parkway anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know what the points are for Waze? Apparently when you report something they thank you and give you points. Do you use these?

The points can be used at any Dunkin Doughnuts for a coffee or snack. Once you get 100 points you can go.

I had NO idea I had points! Much less that you can use points! I have nearly 30K!!

I love Waze on long drives. Used it a lot this summer traveling up to Long Island, NY, NYC, and various points in New England. It saved us major time when traffic was backed up on the major routes. I now know how to paralell I95 in various states when traffic is barely moving. It has also taken me around absolute gridlock in the DC area. I do not follow it without question. I use my own judgement and also take into account what my car's GPS is reporting about traffic. On long car rides it has saved me up to an hour or hour and one-half of driving (for a full day drive). I think that's pretty great. Also, it has warned me to stay in the outside lanes on the NJ Turnpike when the cars only lane had a major backup ahead that was not obvious when you first get on the NJ Tpke heading south from NYC.

I use Google Maps for navigation and run Waze at the same time in the background just to hear alerts that Google Maps does not have.

Anonymous wrote:My sister swears by it, but it seems ridiculous to me. We had to follow each other somewhere, and she texted that she was going to go around traffic the way Wade was suggesting. I stayed the course and we actually arrived at the exact same time (well, I was at the red light coming from one way as she was pulling in from the other.) She had gone waaay out of her way, even going through quite a few residential neighborhoods. Of course I sat in traffic, which I guess can be frustrating, but it wasn’t as though I arrived that much later than her.

I was discussing his with my husband and he assumed Waze was created for those who would rather drive 25mph and stop at tons of stop signs than sit in traffic at a more direct route. Is this pretty much accurate?

My kids would follow Waze off a cliff. Waze will also take you through neighborhoods that can get you killed.

Anonymous wrote:It is the stupidest thing ever invented. Used it for a week and never again. It had me exit 495 going to MD from VA, only to take me on the street next to it, through tiny housing section and back onto the highway at the next exit!! And as it was dark I thought it was going to take me through DC so I followed the directions. What if a tanker spilled on 495, right? Nope, and then I was stuck for 45 minutes on a merging lanes on the side road and traffic from other side street merging onto the exit for 45 minutes! Never again, deleted that crap that same night. Only fools use it.

The problem is that everyone else does the same thing before it can account for it. There was an issue a year or two ago when the Woodrow Wilson Bridge was shut down due to that truck fire. Waze suggested detours through residential areas, and so many people followed it that it created even more gridlock.

Anonymous wrote:Having enjoyed more than one rabbit-warren detour to nowhere with Waze, I use it only to check volume on my preferred route. It is very good for that most of the time and has saved me more than once from going down my usual on ramp into a 12 mile disaster. But I pick my alternative routes myself

Google maps does the same.

It is the stupidest thing ever invented. Used it for a week and never again. It had me exit 495 going to MD from VA, only to take me on the street next to it, through tiny housing section and back onto the highway at the next exit!! And as it was dark I thought it was going to take me through DC so I followed the directions. What if a tanker spilled on 495, right? Nope, and then I was stuck for 45 minutes on a merging lanes on the side road and traffic from other side street merging onto the exit for 45 minutes! Never again, deleted that crap that same night. Only fools use it.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know what the points are for Waze? Apparently when you report something they thank you and give you points. Do you use these?

The points can be used at any Dunkin Doughnuts for a coffee or snack. Once you get 100 points you can go.

Anyone know what the points are for Waze? Apparently when you report something they thank you and give you points. Do you use these?