6 new features added to make driving safer, easier

Waze wants you to drive like a local with a suite of new features.

Waze, the Google-owned navigation app known for its real-time tra-c updates and communitydriven insights, is rolling out a suite of new features designed to make your driving experience safer, smoother, and more informed.

The suite of features, meant to roll out throughout 2024, ranges from advanced guidance for navigating tricky roundabouts to real-time alerts for upcoming speed limit changes and detailed parking information. This is part of a trend from Waze's attempts to use AI to enhance its safety features like Google Maps.

Just recently in November, the company added a feature that warns users of roads with a history of crashes.

Here's a breakdown of what to expect on the Waze app in the coming weeks and months:

1. Navigating Roundabouts - Roundabouts seem to be a foreign concept many Americans; as such, Waze is introducing a new feature that assist drivers with navigating roundabouts more effectively.

2. Safety Alerts for First Responders - One of the more interesting updates from Waze is the inclusion of advance alerts for drivers when emergency vehicles, such as ambulances.

3. Speed Limit Alerts - The app will now alert drivers when a speed limit decrease is upcoming along their route.

4. Local Navigation Alerts - Using the power of its dedicated community of drivers, Waze plans to enhance its hazard alerts to include warnings about sharp curves, speed bumps, and toll booths.

5. Parking Information - In collaboration with Flash, Waze is expanding its parking features to offer detailed information about parking garages, including cost, coverage, accessibility, valet options, and the availability of EV charging stations.

6. Route Information - Rolling out for all devices this month, Waze is making it easier for drivers to access information about their favorite routes, including live tra-c updates and delays.