Most navigation apps share a single, inflexible goal: to save a few seconds to get from point A to point B. This sounds good in theory, but the problem in practice is that, to a routing algorithm, an unprotected left turn across multiple lanes of traffic is just an efficient mathematical vector on a grid. However, for humans behind the wheel, these aggressive shortcuts can lead us to dangerous intersections. It’s unnecessarily stressful, but luckily Waze has a setting you can turn on to avoid these blurry intersections.
Algorithms are great at calculating the shortest physical distance, but they generally don’t account for bad drivers and poorly designed road infrastructure. They certainly never take into account the mental health of the driver. But buried in Waze’s settings is the “Avoid Difficult Intersections” toggle that explicitly instructs the app’s navigation engine to ignore notoriously problematic intersections. Once this setting is enabled, Waze will favor intersections with dedicated traffic lights and good visibility rather than blindly finding the quickest route (although it’s also helpful to know what the different Waze icons and emojis mean).
It’s a nice change in how apps like Waze assess the viability of a route; driver safety and stress levels should also matter. Even if your commute only takes a little longer, trading a few extra minutes for safer, more relaxed driving seems worth it. And while Waze has its issues, this feature isn’t one of them; this is a benefit for local commuters and car travelers.
How to Enable Waze’s Hidden Toggle (And Why It Actually Works)
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Enabling this beneficial routing adjustment only takes a few seconds. To activate the toggle, open the Waze app, tap the button menu icon to access the main dashboard and head to the Settings menu with the small gear icon. Scroll down to the “Navigation” category, which houses all of the app’s main routing behaviors. Locate the option titled Avoid difficult intersectionstap it and change the preference to Always. Waze then instantly updates its routing logic to permanently reflect this preference in all your future trips.
What makes this updated route so effective is how Waze defines a “difficult” maneuver. This feature is actually powered by users’ hyper-local knowledge. An intersection is not signalized simply because cars are moving slowly through it. Instead, dedicated volunteer Waze Map editors from around the world manually verify maps in their own neck of the woods. When a specific intersection is known to consistently have terrible visibility, missing traffic signs, or a dangerous blind turn, these local experts identify it themselves in the system. They add a much-needed layer of real-world context that a routing algorithm alone would never have; This makes sense because these are the people who have to drive on these roads and witness near misses on a regular basis. This is one of the things that makes Waze better than Google Maps; this participatory touch absolutely enhances the driving experience. This is something we can all be grateful for.
