How to enable speed camera detection in Waze

With roadside checks becoming more common and new-generation speed cameras appearing across the network, many drivers are looking for lawful ways to stay on top of their driving. One of the most popular options is Waze - but only if you know how to use it properly. Contrary to what many people assume, speed camera detection is not automatically enabled and needs a few settings tweaks to work well.

Waze is more than a basic sat-nav. Widely used and clearly ahead of many rivals, it stands out by delivering live updates on traffic conditions, collisions, roadworks and, importantly, enforcement and control areas. Its real advantage is how community-driven it is: millions of users feed in reports every day, creating a genuine mutual-help network for motorists.

That’s also where the gap with Google Maps - its Alphabet stablemate - becomes obvious. Waze tends to stay one step ahead thanks to features such as danger-zone reporting, real-time updates for fuel prices and toll charges, and alerts for roadside controls.

Enable speed camera and danger-zone alerts in Waze

However, to benefit from speed camera detection, you must switch on a specific setting. Here’s the route to follow:

1. Open the app and go to “My Waze”
2. Find the cogwheel icon (Settings)
3. Tap “Alerts & reports”
4. Then choose “Reports”
5. Turn on the toggles for the alerts you want

Adjust audible alerts for Waze warnings

To get the most from the app, remember to set up audio alerts as well. Tap the speaker icon at the bottom-right of the home screen and pick either “Alerts only” or “Sound on”. That extra bit of tailoring can make a real difference when you’re on the move.

Play your part in the Waze community

Waze only works as well as it does because its community stays active. You can become a more helpful (and better-informed) Wazer by reporting what you encounter on the road. A vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder? A stray animal? A stretch that’s particularly slippery? It only takes a few seconds to warn other drivers.

To submit a report:

1. Tap the orange triangle icon at the bottom-right
2. Choose the incident type from the options shown
3. Confirm your report

Be aware: under current rules, the exact locations of fixed speed cameras are no longer shown directly. Instead, the app flags danger zones, and alerts for mobile speed cameras may be temporarily limited during special operations.

In any case, speed camera detection is only genuinely useful for avoiding the lapses in attention that are common on long drives. The goal is absolutely not to encourage risky driving - quite the opposite. Speed camera detection or not, your anticipation and focus remain your best allies for driving safely.