Christmas is best spent with family and friends. Not on the road and in standstill traffic. Knowing which roads to take or avoid and having the ability to plan ahead for the best time to leave and the shortest travel time to a destination is one Christmas treat we all want.

Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, collected data over the past year and came up with the date and the hours of the day when traffic is at its worse. The data includes places that increased in traffic during the holidays. In the hands of a seasoned driver, this information will shorten travel time so families can spend more time together.

Worse times and dates for driving

Waze Worse Times
WORSE TIMES. These are the worse times to drive, according to Waze based on company data and insights based on total drivers per hour, December 2016.

Waze also came up with a report on Philippine cities that had increased traffic over the holidays.

Key metros with heavy traffic

Waze Philippines data
Source: Waze data, Insights based on total drivers per day, December 2016

With the exception of Angeles City in Pampanga and Naga City in Bicol, most cities with increased traffic volume are found in the southern part of the country. If you have plans to go through these areas, best schedule hitting the road earlier than usual or just go somewhere else to celebrate.

But if staying away from these places is not an option, Waze has a solution – Planned Drive. The function gives drivers the estimated time of departure and arrival.

Set planned drives

 

Waze planned drives

Christmas tunes for Wazers on Spotify

Earlier this year, Waze and Spotify announced a partnership to bring your favorite Spotify playlists into the Waze app. With the integration in full swing, your commute, road trip or holiday-related traffic jam becomes much more tolerable, enjoyable even, especially as Wazers get into the holiday groove with Spotify!

It’s no surprise that our favorite diva Mariah Carey has topped the list with “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Top Christmas tunes on Spotify for Wazers
Top Christmas tunes on Spotify for Wazers

Top 5 Most Popular Christmas Songs for Wazers on Spotify:

1. “All I Want For Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
2. “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé
3. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande
4. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – 2010 Digital Remaster” by John Lennon
5. “Last Christmas – Remastered” by Wham!

Trip to the North Pole: PH Ranks Slowest

In the unfortunate event that Santa’s sleigh breaks down, Waze can help plan your trip from Philippines to the North Pole to get your gifts. Based on Filipinos’ average driving speed, it will take about 22 days to reach Santa’s house. In APAC, Philippines is ~1,400KM closer to the North Pole than Singapore, yet Filipino drivers would take 8 more days to get there. Globally, Italian drivers are among the fastest in the race to the North Pole.

For your return trip to ring in 2018, Waze recommends avoiding the roads between 3pm – 5pm on Sunday, Dec 31, especially if you’re hoping to make it back home in time for your New Year’s Eve party.

Waze Christmas
Race to the North Pole: PH among slowest.

In a race based on Days to NP at 100 KPH and Days Added Due to Region Speed, Waze ranked the Philippines, followed by Australia and Brazil as the 3 Slowest Countries, while USA, Italy and France, no surprise there, as the 3 Fastest Countries to reach the North Pole.

Enjoy this holiday season and let Waze and Spotify be your best road companion wherever you may go to celebrate. Download the Waze and Spotify from the Play Store or the App Store. For more information, please visit the Waze at www.waze.com. (Press Release)

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