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Waze uses crowdsourcing to keep drivers out of a jam (video)

Navigating through traffic congestion is one of life's headaches. SmartPlanet visits Silicon Valley startup Waze to hear how its app enables drivers to share real-time traffic information.

CNET News staff

When it comes to mapping out the best driving route to your destination, sometimes the most direct route turns out to be the longest thanks to traffic congestion.

Silicon Valley startup Waze has designed an app to enable drivers to alert one another of road conditions by sharing real-time traffic information.

It takes a user's information such as where they are and how fast they're traveling, as well as the same information on others in the vicinity who are using the app. It then combines that data to figure out where the traffic is and where it isn't, pointing drivers to better routes. Users can also report locations of certain things others might want to avoid--like accidents, road work, or, say, a police officer. SmartPlanet recently visited Waze to see how it works.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "How Waze uses crowdsourcing for better traffic data."

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