Traffic is one of the things all drivers love to hate. From the moment you get your license your taught to hate it and to avoid it. In the 21st Century it should be easier to avoid traffic… Waze makes that possible.

Waze was created by a small team in Tel Aviv and was recently purchased by Google. Upon being purchased by Google, lots of Waze’s features have been integrated into Google Maps but Google has promised to keep Waze independent and they’ve proved it by releasing version 4.0 recently.

When first opening Waze the app immediately stands out in that it looks cartoonish compared to other map apps. The cartoon feel is apparent throughout which helps give Waze character. When you first start out you’re a baby Wazer, which means you have to drive around as a wazer with a pacifier for your first 100 miles driving with Waze. After you reach this milestone your pacifier will be removed and you’ll then have the option to pick between different icons. Some are reserved for those who drive the most miles in each state while others are reserved for map editors.

Waze’s claim to fame are it’s traffic features. Waze connects to Facebook when you sign up so you can instantly see all your friends and where they’re driving. You can also see their and those around you’s speeds and traffic flow. Another huge feature of the app is the ability to report what you see around you on the road. You can report traffic incidents, such as accidents and standstills, positions of police, road hazards, map issues, places of interest and closures. The reporting of police locations has been a huge controversy as police departments feel this is undermining people’s safety. Besides the police the traffic features are liked by all. The gas prices feature being located in app saves time from having to open GasBuddy or another app.

Waze being a maps app has great navigation. One fun feature is the use of promoted voices. Waze has sponsors pay to have a certain voice navigate you instead of the usual robotic monotone voice. Currently to promote ‘London Has Fallen’, you have the option of having Morgan Freeman navigate you and referring to as Mr. President. Waze unfortunately is hindered by its needing of a constant internet connection. Many of Waze’s rivals also have similar issues but recently Waze’s parent Google has introduced limited offline support into Google Maps.

If you are looking for a way to keep track of traffic and keep up with friends while on the go Waze is a great option. Waze is available on the Apple App Store along with Google Play.