Bad Traffic ≠ An Accident

[Edward50095]

I found it hard to believe someone would report an accident they cannot see strange as well. Since not only does WAZE want to know of the accident, but far more importantly, its precise location.

I would think everyone WAZER would know that when they report something, it is also getting placed on the map in the place where they pressed the first button in the reporting process.


The true cause of mystery slowdowns on the interstate is because people follow each other too closely. I doubt you actually have anyone driving less than the speed limit on the interstate let alone driving 40. Driving over the speed limit is not permitted in any lane.

I don't care if you "camp out" in the left lane IF their is no one behind you. If there is someone behind you, no matter how fast you are going, no matter if you think you are not finished with the left lane, YOU need to move over.

Especially on 3 or more lanes, the left lane should be mostly clear. If only two lanes I can more let it go. But you know good and well, if the road was 15 lanes wide, some drivers are still going far left. Because that's what they do.

Another big cause of congestion on freeways is folks that have driven the left lane to within a quarter mile of their exit, and are now trying to move right. That and following too close.

[Edward50095]

"Most bad traffic is just that: bad traffic. Some moron was driving 40 MPH in the passing lane an hour ago, and thanks to breaking laminar flow he or she has caused a full traffic stoppage."

Let me guess: You pretty much stay in the left lane don't you? It's a passing lane, not "laminar flow".

The left lane is for passing; move back to the right when you're done. Thanks in advance.

[ChrisMD123]

"Most bad traffic is just that: bad traffic. Some moron was driving 40 MPH in the passing lane an hour ago, and thanks to breaking laminar flow he or she has caused a full traffic stoppage."

Let me guess: You pretty much stay in the left lane don't you? It's a passing lane, not "laminar flow".

The left lane is for passing; move back to the right when you're done. Thanks in advance.

I stay in the far right lane except to pass and am only half joking when I propose snipers to rid the world of left lane hogs. Similar to that Futurama line, "Any button! They all retaliate!" all lanes (except the right lane) are passing lanes.

My point about laminar flow was aimed exactly at the problem where people don't use the left (and middle) lanes correctly. People using the left lane correctly (trying to pass) stack up behind, and suddenly there's mixed speed traffic in all lanes. This is turbulence, or a break in laminar flow. But there are few people in the US who do this correctly, so I can understand that you would jump to the opposite conclusion based on my initial comment. Sorry to be unclear.

[ChrisMD123]

Strange habit in my opinion. I would assume everybody reports 'accident' at the location where the accident is, not a mile before in a traffic jam. Is this really happening in your region?

Most definitely. Comparing Waze accident reports to radio traffic news and state traffic cameras, the overwhelming majority of "accident" reports in the Philadelphia area are actually just bad traffic reported far upstream.

[ChrisMD123]

The voting system doesn't solve the problem: Someone ahead reports, "Hey, there's an accident!" Someone else, farther upstream in the traffic, sees that accident report and gives it a thumbs up because they also perceive that "bad traffic must mean there's an accident." Indeed, confirmation bias would suggest that trailing vehicles are more likely to perceive that there was an accident even if they never see one.

[ChrisMD123]

This is partially a complaint directed at my fellow Wazers and partially a suggestion/data analysis conundrum for the developers. It might be a feature request, but since it's more than that I'm putting it in the main forum. Moderators, free to disagree and move it.

It seems to be human nature, at least everywhere I've lived in the States, to say, "Ooh, bad traffic. Must be an accident." In Waze, this turns into thirty people reporting accidents when they're actually just sitting in bad traffic.

Most bad traffic is just that: bad traffic. Some moron was driving 40 MPH in the passing lane an hour ago, and thanks to breaking laminar flow he or she has caused a full traffic stoppage.

The Waze app should be clear: unless you can actually see the accident, do not report an accident.

On the developers' side, it would be interesting to try and puzzle out the real accidents from the data. Get a dataset of reported accidents and find a way to filter it to confirmed accidents. Then, look at the relationship between the submissions and the false alarms.

Complicated; maybe impossible. Sounds like a fun challenge.

[bobsy852]

I feel bad now for not giving everybody a thumbs up to every correct incident I passed last week! :/