How to Use Navigation Systems in Traffic

"Dr. Roadmap, of course, and we are going to talk about advanced traveler information systems which is the fancy word for GPS devices, navigational devices. They really do work. If you've got the money, invest in one. Studies show that they can reduce your risk of being late from twenty-two percent down to eight percent. Again, if we are talking about beating minutes in traffic, every minute helps. I recommend them. Different types exist, of course. There is "in-car navigation tools" in original equipment market. I've also liked the ones that you can buy after market. You can put them in any car and help you out that way. They are transferable and you only need one. There's the "OnStar" devices, of course, that come with new cars. And lastly there are some handy tools. This is the one I use. It's a real time device that shows you traffic conditions on major metropolitan freeways. This one is a Traffic Gage. You can find it at www.trafficgage.com, but again, it can tell you at an instant glance, which freeway is crowded and which isn't so you can make a choice as you approach an interchange. These navigational tools definitely do help. I strongly recommend that you get one that uses real time information whether it's in your car, or after market. In other words, it's a subscription service, but it will tell you when accidents show up and some even provide alternate routes; hard to beat. Baring that, if you have a laptop and it's web-enabled where you can just, you know, it's wireless and you can pick it up while you are in your car (naturally, when you are driving, you don't want to do this) but you can have a passenger check traffic conditions on the web. Some good websites throughout the nation include traffic.tann.net; another one is traffic.com; and lastly, beatthetraffic.com. Any of those will show traffic conditions in real time for major cities. Then, there's your cell phone. Some have web capability, and you can dial in these websites that way. And of course, lastly, the old reliable cell phone. You can dial 511 for information. Departments of Transportation, in each state, also have numbers that you can call. In California, it's 1-800-427-ROAD. But all these tools will help you beat traffic. I strongly recommend them."