How to Report Road Hazard Other Incidents on Waze

Reporting Road Hazards and Other Incidents on Waze

Waze relies heavily on user reports to provide accurate and real-time traffic information, making it essential for users to know how to report various incidents safely and efficiently. Here’s a detailed guide on how to report road hazards and other incidents on Waze.

How to Report a Crash on Waze

To report a crash, follow these steps:

Open the Waze App: Ensure you have the Waze app open and your route set.
Tap the Report Button: Look for the yellow triangle icon that appears on top of the estimated arrival time and tap it.
Select the Incident: In the "What do you see" menu at the bottom, tap on the Crash option.
Provide Details: Select the option that describes what you’re currently seeing, then tap the Report button.
Event on the Map: The event will appear on the map, and your Waze username will automatically appear next to it.

How to Report Road Hazards on Waze

Reporting road hazards is crucial for alerting other drivers. Here’s how to do it:

Tap the Report Button: Press the yellow triangle icon.
Select the Hazard: Choose from options like Construction, Broken traffic light, or Pothole.
Report the Hazard: Tap on the road hazard you noticed and press Report. The app will send and place your report automatically on the map.

How to Report Police Sightings on Waze

To alert other drivers about police presence:

Tap the Report Button: Press the yellow triangle icon.
Select Police: Choose the Police option.
Provide Details: Select one of the options (e.g., police car, police roadblock) and continue by pressing the Report button.

How to Report Road Closures on Waze

If you encounter a road closure, follow these steps:

Tap the Report Button: Hit the triangle button in the map app.
Select Closure: Choose the Closure option.
Mark the Closure: Tap one of the arrows to mark a road closure, depending on your current location. Press the Send button.

Reporting Additional Incidents on Waze

Waze allows you to report several other important incidents:

Traffic: Add notifications for heavy traffic or standstill traffic.
Bad Weather: Alert other drivers to weather issues like slippery roads, floods, or icy roads.
Blocked Lanes: Highlight inaccessible lanes on a given route.
Map Issues: Report any issues related to map functionality, including wrong driving directions, missing exits, or incorrect junctions.

Safe Reporting Practices

To ensure safety while reporting incidents:

Use Voice Commands: Unfortunately, voice reporting via Google Assistant is currently not reliable when using Waze with Android Auto or CarPlay due to ongoing bugs. However, if you're using Waze standalone, you might still attempt to use voice commands, though this feature has been reported as broken in recent updates.
Use Car Controls: If your car has controls like a control wheel, you can use these to navigate the report options without taking your eyes off the road. For example, you can spin the wheel to highlight the report option and then push down to select it.
Glance and Tap: If you must use the screen, glance quickly at the screen to tap the report button, then look back at the road. When it’s safe, glance again to provide additional details.
Report When Stopped: If possible, report incidents when you are stopped or moving very slowly to avoid any distractions while driving.

Limitations and Best Practices

Location Accuracy: Waze records the location of the report where you tap the orange button. For CarPlay, the report location is now correctly recorded at the point of the initial tap, thanks to recent updates.
Avoid Excessive Reporting: Waze limits the number of reports you can make per minute to prevent spam and incorrect reporting. Avoid reporting more than one instance per minute to avoid being temporarily blocked from the app.

By following these steps and best practices, you can contribute to the Waze community safely and effectively, helping to improve navigation for all users.