Corey McConnaughy | Contributing Writer

This problem is all too familiar: someone finally reaches their destination, and now all that’s left to do is find a spot to park their mode of transportation, whether it be their parent’s minivan that they borrowed, a humorously lifted pickup truck with smoke stacks and a collection of all things ‘Murica, or that little Barbie Jeep they saw at Walmart. Little do they know that there is another motorist searching for a free spot as well, leading to a kind of stand-off from Western films – okay, maybe not that situation, but people still get the point. On a serious note, however, an April 2015 study found that drivers wasted on average 55 hours last year by merely searching for a parking spot, which represented roughly $600 million in lost time and fuel. Not too long ago, I imagined a resource to help combat this, and I’m very excited to say that my wish came true!

Allow me to introduce Waze, Google’s community-based traffic and navigation app, as well as one of the most ambitious apps I’ve seen so far. After everyone’s favorite search engine made a partnership with INRIX – the “global leader in connected car services and movement analytics,” according to PR Newswire – Waze looks to be promising for many motorists. As a fun fact about INRIX, Andrew J. Hawkins of The Verge indicates that the company offers traffic information from multiple sources to municipalities and news outlets. INRIX also provides parking information and services to leading car manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Lexus.

So just what can Waze do? Well, users can essentially give back to their communities by sharing real-time traffic information as well as report any road hazards such as accidents, closed-down roads, and even police traps. The sense of community is especially noteworthy, as users can also make friends, send them locations, and let them know when friends will arrive via the app. In fact, Waze learns its users’ recurring destinations, commuting times, and favorite routes to take while the users learn more and more about how to use Waze.

All that aside, the app’s role as a parking pal may be groundbreaking for many people. It makes suggestions about parking lots nearest to a user’s destination. Also, should the user not choose a parking lot before their arrival, Waze will give them the option to pick and navigate to one when approaching a final destination. And after people download the app, finding a good place to park looks to be a piece of cake.

Waze is available in the App Store and on Google Play. As a heads-up, please note that the continued use of the GPS running in the background can dramatically shorten a phone’s battery life. Please do not use the Waze app while driving.