AARP highly recommends avoiding unprotected left turns. This would be a great addition for our aging population.

This problem is exactly why I stopped using Waze and went to Google Maps. You should give the highest priority to avoiding the most dangerous places -- and turning left across a busy road is one of the most dangerous moves we can make. I would gladly add an extra minute or two to avoid those turns and be routed through a traffic signal.

I 100% agree with you! I wish you could tap the map at certain locations and state you NEVER want to go that way.

Avoid left hand turns without traffic lights or four way stops on busy roads.

Yes, THANK YOU FOR THIS.

OT1H it may appear that few people vote for this, But OTOH, if you do a search for LEFT TURN in the search window, you will see that this issue has been coming up again and again and again over the last 10 years, and Waze's users want it (across many postings asking for it) but Waze apparently does not want to do it. WHY NOT, WAZE???

Waze Team: Please WAKE UP. You guys are still not getting it. WE WANT THIS FEATURE!!!!!!!!!!!! It would SAVE LIVES!!!!!!

Directing drivers to take left turns from small side streets out across busy multiple lane streets should be PROHIBITED. PERIOD!!!! You are putting people in DANGER by doing this. How much is "significantly faster" worth, when you're now in the hospital, or 6 feet under? Please stop doing this in navigation. It is a SAFETY ISSUE. Just the other day in my town a guy in a white pickup truck took a left turn onto a busy street at night, got T-boned, and killed himself and 2 of his 3 children. STOP ALLOWING THIS!!!

Even taking left turns OFF of busy streets is bad. (Cars taking left turns in front of motorcycles, for instance, is the #1 way motorcyclists die when involved in a crash with another vehicle.)

LEFT TURNS ONLY AT DEDICATED LIGHTS ONLY PLEASE. How many lives would be saved by Waze adding this?

Even without Waze, it is so much safer to simply drive this way as a good driver: Basically, all turns should be RIGHTS(*) except 1) at lighted intersections with dedicated left arrow signals, or 2) 4-way stops. Heck, such should be LAW IN ALL 50 STATES anyway.

(*) The phrase from the old days still applies: "If you don't have a light, then three Rights make a Left.."

Waze Team: No, no, no!!! You guys are still not getting it. Directing drivers to take left turns from small side streets out across busy multiple lane streets should be PROHIBITED. PERIOD!!!! You are putting people in DANGER by doing this. How much is "significantly faster" worth, when you're now in the hospital, or 6 feet under? Please stop doing this in navigation. It is a SAFETY ISSUE. Just the other day in my town a guy in a white pickup truck took a left turn onto a busy street at night, got T-boned, and killed himself and 2 of his 3 children. STOP ALLOWING THIS!!!

LEFT TURNS ONLY AT DEDICATED LIGHTS ONLY PLEASE. How many lives would be saved by Waze adding this?

Even without Waze, it is so much safer to simply drive this way: Basically, all turns should be RIGHTS(*) except 1) at lighted intersections with dedicated left arrow signals, or 2) 4-way stops. Heck, such should be LAW IN ALL 50 STATES anyway.

(*) The phrase from the old days still applies: "If you don't have a light, then three Rights make a Left.."

Avoiding difficult Intersections is ***NOT*** the same thing as avoiding left turns from small side roads onto busy multi-lane main roads. Preventing such turns should not even be an option: It should be default in the Waze navigation algorithm. You're sending people out to get T-boned. Please stop it. Just send them to next major (lighted, or at least 4-way stop) intersection. And hopefully the light even has a dedicated left-turn arrow.

Avoiding difficult Intersections is ***NOT*** the same thing as avoiding left turns from small side roads onto busy multi-lane main roads. Preventing such turns should not even be an option: It should be default in the Waze navigation algorithm. You're sending people out to get T-boned. Please stop it. Just send them to next major (lighted, or at least 4-way stop) intersection. And hopefully the light even has a dedicated left-turn arrow.

There is an option in the app settings to "avoid difficult intersections." It's under the "Navigation" section

Include an option to avoid left turns (unless there is traffic light with left turn arrow or an All-way Stop sign). I’ve moved to Newton MA, a metro-Boston suburb. Traffic management in this area is terrible compared to Long Island NY, where we lived before. There is a paucity of traffic lights. A car often has to turn left onto a road with very busy, rapid 2-way traffic. We are in good health in our 70s, but don’t want to become dependent on Uber for local travel. I understand that avoiding left turns is standard in route planning by UPS, and they’ve found the policy shortens trips and reduces fuel use (helping the environment). Adding this feature would give you a competitive advantage.

I live in an urban area with a ton of traffic. Commuter time is basically 7-9:45 am and 3:30-7 pm. I have “avoid difficult intersections” turned on, but I have still received directions from Waze that include a left turn onto a major, multi-lane, and/or generally always busy roadway without the assistance of an all-way stop sign or traffic light. I could wait hours for a safe opportunity! Please avoid in the future. I bet Waze knows which local roadways see regular heavy traffic. For example, expecting me to turn left across 4 lanes of heavy traffic that doesn’t stop with a nearby light or other pausing traffic pattern is crazy! I’ve had to drive 30 minutes out of my way after turning around to find a safe way to get going in the right direction - which is what I want Waze for!!

An estimated 90% of the turns made by UPS delivery trucks are right turns, and that’s intentional, according to the Washington Post. Left turns are seen as inefficient, because they leave trucks sitting in traffic longer. The logistics company says a policy of minimizing left turns has helped it save more than 10 million gallons of fuel over the past decade. Left turns (in countries where people drive on the right) are dangerous, too: New York City officials say left turns are 3 times more likely than right turns to cause a deadly crash involving a pedestrian.
Source: The Case for Almost Never Turning Left While Driving

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2014/04/09/the-case-for-almost-never-turning-left-while-driving/

An estimated 90% of the turns made by UPS delivery trucks are right turns, and that’s intentional, according to the Washington Post. Left turns are seen as inefficient, because they leave trucks sitting in traffic longer. The logistics company says a policy of minimizing left turns has helped it save more than 10 million gallons of fuel over the past decade. Left turns (in countries where people drive on the right) are dangerous, too: New York City officials say left turns are 3 times more likely than right turns to cause a deadly crash involving a pedestrian.
Source: The Case for Almost Never Turning Left While Driving

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2014/04/09/the-case-for-almost-never-turning-left-while-driving/

Minimize left turns WITHOUT a left turn arrow, as we all know, just because there is a light there does not mean you can make that light turning left as you may have to wait several changes, or running it after the change; which is always bad. Someone mentioned living in LA and making left turns, and I have been there before and know how painful that is, I wish to expand on this and add the option if there is one then its fine if not, then it should be avoided; and/or incorporate this into "dangerous intersections.

To compliment this users should have the ability somewhere to report these difficult left turns somewhere in the app and in map editors as well and let someone make a decision about the intersection as well

Avoid routes that require you to turn left across a two lane road without a light. I'm often routed to a point that requires relatively dangerous left hand turns across busy multi-lane roads.

Caution about turning left onto Dewey St from 21st Street in Santa Monica. The police often give tickets.

Waze directed me to make a left turn across a major hiway without a traffic signal when there was one nearby that could have been used.

I have activated "avoid difficult intersections," but I am still being directed to make left turns onto busy 4 lane roads with no lights. Could you have a look at this feature and maybe tweak it to work more efficiently? I'm experiencing exactly what Dr. Dave is explaining. PS I'm a big Waze fan!

Yeah--there is the setting "“Avoid difficult intersections” option is available in Navigation settings. Should ease the issue if not eliminate it."
I live in the DC Metro area w some of the crappiest commuting in the nation. We have to wait anyway. I would rather wait in a place where I will not also get T-boned by some numb-skull going 60 mph on the reverse rush hour side. My B-I-Ls brother died from this very thing. So, just say if it isn't pragmatically possible instead of blowing people off.

IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE - Please do not suggest routes that require left hand turns onto busy streets without signal control. Why has this not been fixed already. Waze sends you past the Claremont exit from 24 to the Broadway exit, through a neighborhood with narrow winding streets by an elementary school and forces a left hand turn onto Tunnel Road - INSANE! Also traffic back-up at the intersection is ridiculous! This has been going on for over a year! I ask my ride share drivers not to use Waze now.