Why does Waze sometimes give me points when I acknowledge that the dead raccoon is still on the road?
I understand crowdsourcing traffic. Accident ahead? Helpful. Police reported? Useful. But occasionally Waze asks me to verify something that feels less like navigation and more like being deputized as a low-level infrastructure inspector.
“Is the object still on the road?”
Yes. The raccoon remains dead. I have confirmed the situation and apparently earned points for my service.
It does the same thing with railroad crossings. “Are the train tracks still there?” Yes, Waze. They have not morphed overnight into a medieval drawbridge. The freight line has not been replaced by a moat.
My bigger question is what the points are for. At a certain level do I unlock secret new routes to Trader Joe’s? Do I gain access to a hidden lane on Route 80 reserved for people who have verified enough potholes?
Is there a secret AAA society where elite Waze users gather in an underground garage and have their tires repaired by drone?
I’m going to keep collecting points just in case. Today I confirmed a dead raccoon. Tomorrow I may be granted access to the legendary Morris County shortcut that no GPS has ever dared reveal.