\\Note: once complete this will be merged with How_to_Report into a general Report article.
Waze's report function is a crucial part of the user experience. Users' reports assist other drivers and may help route them around traffic or closed roads. Reporting illegal turns or missing roads alerts editors to problems that need to be fixed in order to optimize routing.
It's particularly important to refrain from reporting when reports are not justified. Excessively posting alerts to other motorists only creates noise, lessening the impact of valid road reports. Reporting app issues and complaints as map problems sends a request to map editors who typically will not be able to offer assistance.
Below are some guidelines for effective reporting. Be sure to check if your local Waze community has its own standards.
When to post a report
Traffic Jam
Report a traffic jam when traffic is particularly slow for that road. When you are stopped away from a normal stopping point, Waze may prompt you "Are you in traffic?" If you do not expect to be moving at a normal speed soon, respond to the prompt by picking the appropriate situation (moderate, heavy, or standstill). However, if Waze prompts you when you are stopped at a stoplight, tap "no" to dismiss the question.
If Waze asks if you are stopped in traffic after you've left your car, then please tap "no" and exit the app. Users leaving Waze running after they have parked are a source of many false traffic jams, which negatively impact routing. It is important to shut Waze down when you are not driving to avoid this.
Police
Report any stationary police vehicle. Some users appreciate these reports as reminders to watch their speed; others want to be alert to any activity on the side of the road so they can move over a lane for safety.
It is not helpful to report police cars in motion because, obviously, they will not be at the location of the report by the time it appears in the app.
Accident
Report any accident that is likely to disrupt traffic. This includes vehicles in traffic lanes, or vehicles on the shoulder where police, emergency, or assistance vehicles and personnel may be operating. If you are on a dual carriageway and the accident occurred in the opposing lanes, only report it if it is causing drivers heading your direction to slow down (i.e., a gapers' block).
Hazard
On road
Object on road
Construction
Pothole
Roadkill
Shoulder
Vehicle Stopped
Animals
Missing sign
Weather
Fog
Hail
Rain
Snow
\\add other voice recognition options?
Camera
Remember that not everything that appears to be a camera is one of the types of cameras you report in Waze. Please be sure to review the article on cameras for more information on the correct cameras to report.
Map chat
Keep it fun and clean.
Map issue
Map issues
Reporting map issues is reserved for problems with the maps Waze uses to route users. Typical map issues are illegal turns, new roads, incorrectly named roads, and incorrect locations of destinations.
Currently, Waze offers only a limited number of options for reporting map issues from the app:
General map error
Turn not allowed
Incorrect junction
Missing bridge or overpass
Wrong driving directions
For all map problems, keep in mind that the editors who solve the problems will be much more likely to successfully solve the problem if they have all the information necessary to do so. Editors are volunteer Waze users who do not have access to your origin or destination, and will only be able to see 1-2 km of your route. If you are reporting wrong driving directions, it would be useful for the editor to know what part of the route was wrong, and what a better route would be. If you are able to pull over safely after opening the report, please consider adding this information in the "describe map issue here..." field.
Pave
Waze offers an opportunity for users to add new roads when they encounter any not already on the map. Paving is especially helpful when the roads are so new that they are unlikely to appear in satellite imagery. However, if you choose to add roads with the pave feature, please keep the following in mind:
- Do not pave roads that do not belong on the map (see BMEP / link). This prohibition includes railroads, runways, walking trails, or anything else other than a road open to vehicular traffic.
- It will take a few days for the paved roads to appear in the editor.
- When the paved roads appear, it is the responsibility of the user who paved them to either finish them in the editor (name them, locate them in the correct city, adjust their geometry, and connect them to the existing network) OR alert a local area manager to the new roads and request that they be added. Until they are edited, Waze cannot use them for navigation.
Closure
Report roads that are closed to all vehicular traffic for a short period of time (typically less than a day). If you know that the road will be closed for several days or longer, report it as a map problem instead. Do not report a road as closed if only some lanes are closed, but at least one lane remains open. Report the closed lane as a hazard instead.
When to close a report
Reports should be closed when whatever has been reported is no longer present. As you approach a hazard or police, an alert will appear on the screen; simply press "not there" if it is gone. If you pass a reported hazard that does not meet the guidelines above, such as an abandoned car on the shoulder or an unnecessary weather report, please tap "not there" to clear it.
\\? how long will a report remain if no one clears it? will a thumbs-up prolong the life of a report?