Waze And Traffic Cameras: What's The Connection?

Waze is a community-based traffic and navigation app that provides alerts for speed cameras and red-light cameras. While Waze supports numerous types of enforcement cameras and offers client alerts for validated camera installations, there have been user reports of the app not announcing speed cameras or red-light cameras. This could be due to various factors, including audio settings, the direction of travel, or the absence of a reported camera from the map. It's important to note that speed cameras in Waze are direction-specific and will only alert drivers if they are exceeding the speed limit. Additionally, mobile speed cameras or camera vans should be reported in the app as visible police instead of being mapped.

Waze speed camera alerts

Waze supports numerous types of enforcement cameras and provides alerts when approaching a validated camera installation. Speed cameras record your vehicle's speed as it drives past a specific point. If you're driving over the speed limit, you’ll get both an alert on the map and a voice alert. If you're driving at or under the speed limit, you’ll only get an alert on the map.

To get any kind of notification, the camera has to be in your driving direction. Waze will notify you about a camera if it’s valid, it’s in your driving direction, and you’re exceeding the speed limit. The app will not alert you with audio if you’re under the speed limit.

Speed cameras are added to the map based on reports from partners and map editors. If a speed camera wasn't reported by an editor or partner, Waze may not know about it.

To manage your speed camera alerts, tap 'Alerts and reports', then 'Reports'. A list of all report types will appear. 'Show on map' will display alerts on the map, and 'Alert while driving' will give you a voice alert and a pop-up on your screen.

Waze speed cameras vs. traffic cameras

Waze supports numerous types of enforcement cameras and can provide alerts when approaching a validated camera installation. Speed cameras and traffic cameras are two types of enforcement cameras.

Speed Cameras

Speed cameras record your vehicle's speed as it drives past a specific point. If you're driving over the speed limit, you’ll get both an alert on the map and a voice alert. If you're driving at or under the speed limit, you’ll only get an alert on the map. Speed cameras are added to the map based on reports from partners and map editors. If a speed camera wasn't reported by an editor or partner, Waze may not know about it.

Traffic Cameras

Traffic cameras monitor the flow of traffic or the depth of a queue waiting for a signal. They allow for automated optimization of traffic signal timing, real-time monitoring by police and highway departments, and public feeds to news outlets and the Internet. Traffic cameras are typically larger than signal preemption systems but are still compact. They may point in any direction depending on what they are monitoring.

Waze provides alerts for approaching speed cameras, which are permanent installations that monitor for instantaneous violations of maximum speeds. On the other hand, traffic cameras are used for monitoring traffic flow and queue lengths, and Waze does not provide alerts specifically for these cameras. However, traffic cameras may be installed alongside red light cameras, which Waze does provide alerts for. It is important to distinguish between these types of cameras when reporting and adding them to the Waze map.

Waze speed camera accuracy

Waze is a subsidiary company of Google that uses satellite navigation and real-time data from users in the local vicinity to provide information on road conditions, journey times, delays, errors, road layouts, and turn directions.

Waze does show speed cameras, but only if users submit the positions of the cameras. It cannot determine whether the speed camera is turned on or not. Waze defines a speed camera as a permanent installation that monitors traffic for vehicles exceeding a set maximum speed. Temporary or portable speed camera installations should be reported as a police hazard.

The accuracy of Waze's speed camera alerts depends on user-submitted data. Fixed speed cameras are usually added permanently, while mobile cameras are reported as police when someone spots them. Users can confirm or deny the presence of police on their route.

While Waze is accurate from a navigation point of view, its warnings about police and speed cameras are only as reliable as the users reporting them. Users have reported both receiving alerts and not receiving alerts for the same speed camera locations.

Compared to Waze, Apple Maps' incident reporting feature is less popular, but speed reports are becoming more common. TomTom GO Navigation, on the other hand, offers more advanced capabilities than Waze. It provides warnings for fixed speed cameras, mobile speed cameras, and "mobile speed camera hotspots," which are based on historical data. TomTom also notifies drivers of average speed cameras and red light cameras.

Waze speed camera settings

Waze supports numerous types of enforcement cameras and can provide alerts when approaching a validated camera installation. Speed cameras record your vehicle's speed as it drives past a specific point. If you're driving over the speed limit, you’ll get both an alert on the map and a voice alert. If you're driving at or under the speed limit, you’ll only get an alert on the map.

To manage your Waze speed camera settings, follow these steps:

• Tap "Alerts and Reports".
• Tap "Reports". A list of all report types will appear.
• Enable "Show on Map" if you want to see alerts on the map.
• Enable "Alert While Driving" if you want to get a voice alert and a pop-up alert on your screen while driving.

Note that speed cameras are added to the Waze map based on reports from partners and map editors. If a speed camera wasn't reported by an editor or partner, it may not be included in the Waze database. Additionally, temporary or portable speed camera installations are not reported in the Waze app and should be reported as a police hazard instead.

Waze speed camera types

Waze supports numerous types of enforcement cameras and provides alerts when users are approaching a validated camera installation. Speed cameras record a vehicle's speed as it passes a specific point. If a driver is exceeding the speed limit, they will receive an alert on the map and a voice alert. If they are driving at or under the speed limit, they will only receive an alert on the map. Speed cameras are added to the map based on reports from partners and map editors.

In the UK, speed cameras that should be mapped include:

• Gatso "Smart Pole" Speed Cameras
• Truvelo Speed Cameras
• Watchman Speed Cameras
• Average Speed Cameras
• Monitron Speed and Red Light Cameras
• RedSpeed Speed and Red Light Cameras
• Gatso Red Light Cameras

Speed cameras that should not be mapped include:

• Mobile speed cameras (camera vans)
• CCTV cameras at level crossings
• Dummy cameras, unless a camera housing is present but is inactive, only the camera housing remains, or it has been bagged over
• Cameras that are only for heavy vehicles

In Australia, Waze does not differentiate between speed and red light camera alerts. Cameras that enforce variable speed limits should be set to the higher speed. Dummy cameras may be added to show users that Waze is aware of a camera.

Frequently asked questions