If you're a regular commuter, Google may have greatly expanded the utility of its Google Now app with a new feature that lets you know if you're heading near a traffic accident.
As the company explained in a Google Plus update:
You know the feeling. You’re just miles from home when all of a sudden you see brake lights ahead—a sure sign of an incident on the road. Starting today, you’ll have a better chance of making it around the traffic. With the latest update to the #GoogleSearch app for Android, Google Now will send you a notification if you’re likely to hit a traffic incident along your drive—without you even having to ask. That way, you can get off at that earlier exit and cruise through the back roads.
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Google had previously incorporated data from Waze to provide real-time traffic info for Google Now, its personal assistant app. Google bought the Israeli Waze for $1.1 billion last June. Google Now is available on Android and iOS mobile devices and, as of Monday, on desktops using Chrome.