Now, mobile application to minimise accidents

Waze records location data and enables users to upload and share comments on any detail, including traffic alerts, accidents or police presence.

Waze website says it has 30 million worldwide users and describes itself as "a community-based traffic and navigation application whose users share real-time traffic and road info, saving time and gas money".

"Only now are we beginning to discover the potential in the huge amount of data collected daily," explained doctoral student Michael Fire from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), who led the research.

"Studies of this kind, which monitor events such as traffic accidents over time, can help the police identify dangerous sections of roads in real time, or alternatively, locations where few police are needed," added Fire, according to a BGU statement.

"There were numerous instances where the police were manning quieter intersections, while busier intersections went unmonitored," Fire said.

"According to the data, police response time varied from 20 minutes to 40 minutes in some situations."

These findings were presented at the IEEE 27th Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel.