Winter can be brutal for commutes. Between the snow, ice, wind, and rain you're almost guaranteed to run into unfavorable road conditions while you're out and about. Waze seems to have noticed this, as a new feature was just announced: snow warnings for the app, which include reporting unplowed roads and ice that's present on the route.

Drivers who notice roads that have slick surfaces or have yet to be plowed can use the app's hazard reporting to warn other users. The warnings will appear in the driving directions just like the already-existing construction and accident reporting, giving users time to prepare for the dicey (and icy) conditions.

Waze's new ice-hazard reporting in action, pictured on iOS because that's what Waze had.

Google has been stepping up its own efforts to introduce more user-reported incidents on Maps, but Waze is still ahead of the game by giving commuters in winter-ravaged cities the ability to warn each other about slippery and dangerous roads. Hopefully the initiative being taken by Waze to allow commuters to report road conditions will be noticed and incorporated by other navigation apps soon.

You can view the new reporting feature by opening the Hazards panel in Waze and touching Weather. If you don't have it yet, you can pick up Waze now in the Play Store.

Waze Navigation & Live Traffic Developer: Waze
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