The instruction means that you should get ready now, because a turn is coming up in one mile. But if you don't first tell the driver how far ahead the next maneuver will be, there is a moment of uncertainty & anxiety that it might be coming much sooner. We don't want people panic-braking on the highway when they hear "Get ready to turn right...", only to be followed by, "...in one mile."

In a moving vehicle, the distance (or time) to the next maneuver must come first.

CBenson wrote:Once again, what's the problem with "in one mile, turn right?"

Whether this is intentional is anyone's guess, but IMO the "get ready" serves as a second layer of defense against panic braking & turning. If there is a long delay between the distance announcement (e.g., "in one mile...") and the turn direction (e.g., "...turn left"), or the driver does not hear the distance announcement for some reason, the "...turn left" instruction sounds immediate. Prefacing it with "get ready to..." clarifies that the maneuver is not immediate.

As has been suggested before, "In one mile, be ready to turn right" serves all the same functions.

jasonh300 wrote:"Be prepared to turn right in one mile"

Since it doesn't start out with the distance, you won't know if it is it one mile, a quarter mile, 0.1 mile etc. until the end of the instruction (by which time you might fly past the turn, if you don't hit the brakes as a precaution).

cherianchris wrote:I'm sure you would slow down on approaching the location!
The prompt is telling you, indirectly to slow down as well..

On the highway, "In one mile..." means I have about a minute before my next maneuver. If I'm in the inside lane, I need to start heading to the outside. I do not need to slow down yet, and people behind me will be annoyed if I do.

"In a quarter mile..." means my next maneuver takes place about 15 seconds after the start of the announcement--and perhaps half that by the time the announcement is completed. If I'm not already in the correct lane, I need to get over now or I'm going to miss my turn, and it may already be too late to start slowing down, depending on the ramp.

By telling the driver that a turn is coming up, but not mentioning which of the above two scenarios applies until the very end of the announcement--by which point the remaining distance/time may have decreased considerably--there is a period of ambiguity during which the driver doesn't know if he has a leisurely minute in which to prepare, or is about to miss his turn entirely.

There a distance counter on the screen as well. So if you can grab a glance you'll have a good idea, when to start turning, as you would have slowed down, sufficiently by then.

Having to read the remaining distance indicator, in order to decide whether you need to slow down immediately and/or make a mad dash for the outside lane, is not acceptable. The purpose of audible directions is to reduce your dependence on the screen, so you can keep your eyes on the road and drive more safely. Since spoken instructions are one-dimensional (i.e., they can only impart information in the order in which it is presented), that ordering is critical.

"Be prepared to turn right in one mile"

Yes, the grammar could be cleaned up a bit in English, but I would rather have the notice that I need to prepare to make a turn a mile in advance than none at all.

harling wrote:On the highway, "In one mile..." means I have about a minute before my next maneuver. If I'm in the inside lane, I need to start heading to the outside. I do not need to slow down yet, and people behind me will be annoyed if I do.

"In a quarter mile..." means my next maneuver takes place about 15 seconds after the start of the announcement--and perhaps half that by the time the announcement is completed. If I'm not already in the correct lane, I need to get over now or I'm going to miss my turn, and it may already be too late to start slowing down, depending on the ramp.

By telling the driver that a turn is coming up, but not mentioning which of the above two scenarios applies until the very end of the announcement--by which point the remaining distance/time may have decreased considerably--there is a period of ambiguity during which the driver doesn't know if he has a leisurely minute in which to prepare, or is about to miss his turn entirely.

cherieandchris wrote:There a distance counter on the screen as well. So if you can grab a glance you'll have a good idea, when to start turning, as you would have slowed down, sufficiently by then.

Having to read the remaining distance indicator, in order to decide whether you need to slow down immediately and/or make a mad dash for the outside lane, is not acceptable. The purpose of audible directions is to reduce your dependence on the screen, so you can keep your eyes on the road and drive more safely. Since spoken instructions are one-dimensional (i.e., they can only impart information in the order in which it is presented), that ordering is critical.

In my opinion, the purpose of audible directions is to supplement what I know about the route I am travelling. I frequently use Waze to guide me through areas where I have never before driven. Because of this, I use my time on the road wisely. In addition to my mirrors and (less frequently) my speedometer, I also look at my phone's display to check how far I am from my next maneuver. I match that against my odometer. The fraction of a second it takes me to add this information to my drive is inconsequential.

I think if you are relying fully on the audible instructions, especially at highway speeds, I feel you are using the tool incorrectly.

timbucks wrote:I still find the queuing of instructions for closely spaced junctions wrong. You'll get "in 800 metres get ready to turn left and then turn right"... why would I want to confuse everyone by getting ready for a left turn and then actually turn right? In such cases the get ready has to go.

I consider that queueing to be very accurate and correct. I hear that and I am ready to not only turn left at the noted distance, but then be prepared to turn right.

Waze is not suggesting that you prepare for turning one direction only to turn the other. It never has.

CBenson wrote:Once again, what's the problem with "in one mile, turn right?"

Nothing, but that's not what mine says. I'll try the minimal voice instruction setting as mentioned.