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Finally No More Guessing, "What Will Traffic be Like?"
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
May 21 2005 | 791 views

Traffic

Not knowing the traffic that lies ahead before hitting the highway is a frustration of the past. That's because Yahoo has introduced a traffic feature update--for 70 major U.S. cities--on its Local Maps page.

The company's feature, which debuted pretty quietly last year, displays real-time traffic conditions including speed and congestion information on major roads, as well as construction information and accident reports. What's more, users can turn traffic information on or off with a control box that sits at the right side of a map display.

Knowing What's in Store

The speed on major highways is indicated by small colored dots:

  • Green = smoothly flowing traffic at normal speeds
  • Yellow = traffic
  • Red = traffic is slow

The dots are displayed on both sides of a road, letting users see when traffic is moving at different speeds in different directions. Small icons mark accident locations and construction zones--placing the mouse over an icon will give a brief summary of the situation, and clicking the icon will give a more detailed pop-up.

Where does the traffic data come from? Yahoo receives data from various sources, including government agencies responsible for traffic information collection (i.e. information for Atlanta comes from the Georgia Department of Transportation).

Ways to Access Real-Time Traffic Info

SearchEngineWatch.com


Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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We have had the technology to pull this off for some time now, and I have been patiently waiting for someone to pull it off. While I rarely battle traffic as I typically leave my home for the office between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., I am very grateful that someone has finally implemented this.

If you drive to work it is likely you don't leave as early as I do and that you actually wasted OVER 50 HOURS every year in needless traffic jams. Getting real-time traffic updates can save you a lot of time on your way to and from work, but, more importantly, it could also end up decreasing the amount of stress and air pollution you have to deal with each day.

Also, if you appreciate technology like I do, and use a versatile Web browser--like Firefox--or an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) reader, you can keep track of traffic along your routes to and from work with the help of some simple, flexible coding like that on Lifehacker.

Related Articles:

What Causes Most Car Accidents?

Air Pollution Increases Death Rate

The Most Dangerous Day of the Week





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