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WAZE and police reporting (1 Viewer)

Sorry Mr. Policeman, but I'm on Waze's side here.

I don't find the government's argument to be very persuasive here. They argue that Waze is creating a danger by preventing police from catching reckless drivers. But if the government really cared about safety, shouldn't they applaud the fact that these "reckless drivers" are slowing down without police interference?

 
I have a hard time seeing how they have a leg to stand on here.  Perhaps they should consider focusing more on policing and less on revenue generation.

 
Sorry Mr. Policeman, but I'm on Waze's side here.

I don't find the government's argument to be very persuasive here. They argue that Waze is creating a danger by preventing police from catching reckless drivers. But if the government really cared about safety, shouldn't they applaud the fact that these "reckless drivers" are slowing down without police interference?
This is where I came out. In the NY Times article linked in the OP article, the president of MADD encapsulated it well:

Helen Witty, the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, was reluctant to address the specifics of the letter without more information, but she noted that sobriety checkpoints were frequently publicized in advance and that even when drivers were warned about them, they served their purpose.

“If you are impaired, you are not going to pay attention to that information,” she said, adding that in her experience, drunken drivers coming through sobriety checkpoints were often very confused or unaware of what was happening.

“We want these things publicized,” she said, because “one of the major efforts is education.”

She added, “The goal is to make everyone aware that if you drink, don’t drive, and if you drive, don’t drink.”
If the police need the pull back of Waze to catch impaired drivers, then they need to look inwardly at their own policies and procedures.

 
Yeah someone drunk isn't gonna have the wherewithal to open up Waze and navigate streets to circumvent DUI checkpoints.

 
They going to force them to remove the ability to mark "hazards" on the road?

They can just start noting there's a "pile of ####" on the side of the road near X and Y and to avoid it.

 
Waze is fine. Police need to adjust. I'm surprised the police don't just manipulate Waze to make it look like there are more police out than there actually are.
It's a numbers game they can't win.   Not enough police who could use it vs motorists who use it all the time.

They can say POLICE HERE! and then they will show up on everyone else Waze -- but it will get downvoted as "gone/not there" very quickly. 

 
I assume this has been discussed, but isn't there a (pretty) good argument that WAZE users are a driving hazard because they're reading/reporting info while driving? I didn't read the linked article, but from the comments it seems the cops are not making this particular argument.  I personally use Google Maps all the time, to the point that its somewhat of an embarrassing crutch for me.  I tried WAZE and it only lasted a day or two - just way too distracting for safe driving imo.  Probably worth noting that I'm very old and often have multiple kids in the car.

 
Obviously it's an alert to check your speed when approaching the police car, but sometimes it's just as much an alert to be ready for other cars around you slowing down quickly when they notice the police car at the last second.

 
I assume this has been discussed, but isn't there a (pretty) good argument that WAZE users are a driving hazard because they're reading/reporting info while driving? I didn't read the linked article, but from the comments it seems the cops are not making this particular argument.  I personally use Google Maps all the time, to the point that its somewhat of an embarrassing crutch for me.  I tried WAZE and it only lasted a day or two - just way too distracting for safe driving imo. 
I don't use it for this very reason and wonder how other people are reporting things.  .  

 
The social media driving thing is kinda creepy imo, but I really don’t care about police showing up on the app.  If they’re not after 💰, then clearly they want safety and folks are at least being intermittently safer on the road.

 
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CletiusMaximus said:
I assume this has been discussed, but isn't there a (pretty) good argument that WAZE users are a driving hazard because they're reading/reporting info while driving? I didn't read the linked article, but from the comments it seems the cops are not making this particular argument.  I personally use Google Maps all the time, to the point that its somewhat of an embarrassing crutch for me.  I tried WAZE and it only lasted a day or two - just way too distracting for safe driving imo.  Probably worth noting that I'm very old and often have multiple kids in the car.
I stuck with Google maps for a long time because I preferred the cleaner look and their directions were more dependable early on (so I especially made sure to use it when I didn't have a clue where I was going).  But Waze has improved on both fronts. 

You just need to go into settings to get it to only show what you're interested in seeing. 

 
rockaction said:
I don't use it for this very reason and wonder how other people are reporting things.  .  
Voice activation

”Hey, Waze”

Waze voice recognition opens up

”Report of a stopped Vehicle”

Waze response is “The Waze community thanks you” and then a road hazard logo appears on map. When another Waze user gets .5 miles away, the Waze app warns with a voice that says “Stopped vehicle ahead”

Substitute “Police reported ahead” or “Accident reported ahead”...

 
jhib said:
Obviously it's an alert to check your speed when approaching the police car, but sometimes it's just as much an alert to be ready for other cars around you slowing down quickly when they notice the police car at the last second.
It can also be used to notify others that a cop has someone pulled over.  It helps me get over earlier if needed.  I would theorize that Waze users are less likely to hit an officer who is out of their car.  

 
Voice activation

”Hey, Waze”

Waze voice recognition opens up

”Report of a stopped Vehicle”

Waze response is “The Waze community thanks you” and then a road hazard logo appears on map. When another Waze user gets .5 miles away, the Waze app warns with a voice that says “Stopped vehicle ahead”

Substitute “Police reported ahead” or “Accident reported ahead”...
Can I have voice activation on without hearing turn by turn directions?

 
I'm a cop and I don't see any reason for Waze to stop reporting police locations. Anything that makes drivers more aware of what's coming up (like a fellow officer on a roadside stop) is a good thing. 

And I definitely don't understand the checkpoint angle. Heck, in Ohio, we have to publicize the location of upcoming DUI checkpoints in the local media. That certainly doesn't stop the drunks from coming through them anyway.

 
Big League Chew said:
Probably the only reason I use WAZE
C'mon, you know that you use it so that you can hear the guy with the British accent! ;)

CletiusMaximus said:
I assume this has been discussed, but isn't there a (pretty) good argument that WAZE users are a driving hazard because they're reading/reporting info while driving? I didn't read the linked article, but from the comments it seems the cops are not making this particular argument.  I personally use Google Maps all the time, to the point that its somewhat of an embarrassing crutch for me.  I tried WAZE and it only lasted a day or two - just way too distracting for safe driving imo.  Probably worth noting that I'm very old and often have multiple kids in the car.
We haven't set up the voice recognition; I tend to respond and add new items when I am the passenger on long drives.

 
Great in NYC (red light camera ahead, speed camera ahead, etc.)... 

How accurate do you guys find their police alerts? I find a ton of them to be false. 

 
My wife loves to use WAZE (from the passenger seat) when we're traveling out of town.  I can see its usefulness but most of the time the alerts are worthless.  The wife loves to tell me everything that comes up.

"There's something in the road ahead"

5 minutes later we drive by a ketchup packet in the slow lane.

 
Great in NYC (red light camera ahead, speed camera ahead, etc.)... 

How accurate do you guys find their police alerts? I find a ton of them to be false. 
Lots of them could just be a guy noticing a cop on the side of the rode who five minutes later drives off. It's hard to keep them accurate.

 
I'm a cop and I don't see any reason for Waze to stop reporting police locations. Anything that makes drivers more aware of what's coming up (like a fellow officer on a roadside stop) is a good thing. 

And I definitely don't understand the checkpoint angle. Heck, in Ohio, we have to publicize the location of upcoming DUI checkpoints in the local media. That certainly doesn't stop the drunks from coming through them anyway.
Notebook updated. I was just kidding in that marijuana thread, GB.   :scared:

 
This is similar to the time they tried to charge a guy for flashing his lights to warn people of cops.  Went to the SC and the cops got told to stop trying to steal people's first amendment rights.  No way this stands.

 
I stuck with Google maps for a long time because I preferred the cleaner look and their directions were more dependable early on (so I especially made sure to use it when I didn't have a clue where I was going).  But Waze has improved on both fronts. 

You just need to go into settings to get it to only show what you're interested in seeing. 
Pretty sure Waze uses Google Maps for their maps. Unless it's changed recently.

 
VandyMan said:
Waze is fine. Police need to adjust. I'm surprised the police don't just manipulate Waze to make it look like there are more police out than there actually are.
They 100% do.

Source: A CopGuy told me the passenger will just hit the police icon repeatedly during shifts while the other cop is driving.

 
The social media driving thing is kinda creepy imo, but I really don’t care about police showing up on the app.  If they’re not after 💰, then clearly they want safety and folks are at least being intermittently safer on the road.
The rideshare pop ups creep me out. Should read "wanna maybe die tonight? Pickup a stranger at this location on your route!"

 
Lots of them could just be a guy noticing a cop on the side of the rode who five minutes later drives off. It's hard to keep them accurate.
Cops doing tickets generally stay in the same areas and in the same locations (hidden, good angles, bottom of hills, etc.).  I find Waze quite effective. 
Probably, especially locally. I use it mostly on long trips, usually on turnpikes and such; and many times the cop or the 'vehicle at the side of the road.' Most of the time the vehicle has left by the time I have passed. But then it is important for other users to say it's not there.

 
My wife loves to use WAZE (from the passenger seat) when we're traveling out of town.  I can see its usefulness but most of the time the alerts are worthless.  The wife loves to tell me everything that comes up.

"There's something in the road ahead"

5 minutes later we drive by a ketchup packet in the slow lane.
Typical F!n slow ### ketchup packets

 

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