 | Beat the Heat (and the Traffic) | Alternative Labor Day getaways  There's really just one sure way to beat the traffic on Labor Day weekend: stay home and barbecue. Most beaches will be crowded, popular mountain resorts will be full and tourist destinations across the country are likely to have long lines. If you are determined to get out and about for the unofficial last weekend of summer, though, here are a few traffic-wise suggestions. One Day at a Time:
The heavy travel times for Labor Day weekend are Friday and Monday evenings. So, think about taking a pair of fun family day trips on Saturday and Sunday. It's a particularly good time to go into town and explore your area's parks and cultural attractions, as many of the locals will have left town. Check your local and/or state tourism websites for suggestions. Fair Game:
Labor Day weekend is primetime for county fairs, 4-H fairs and all manner of local and regional arts and crafts expositions. Visit countyfairgrounds.net for an extensive listing of State and County fairs near you. Remember, many of these events are held in places that are a bit off the beaten track. Check traffic.com before you head out, and make sure your navigation maps are up-to-date. (Check here to find the right update for your system.) If You are Heading to the Popular Destinations...
You are probably going to hit some traffic. Here are some tips to avoid the worst of it: 1) Shift your weekend – Instead of fighting the heavy traffic on Friday evening rush hour and Monday evening, take a day off and shift your trip a day in either direction. You may even get a lower rate one night on your hotel room. 2) Go early or go late – If you can't move your trip a day, think about staying in town for dinner and heading out later or grabbing an early breakfast and making a break for it. Just make sure you're well rested before heading out. 3) Check traffic before and during your drive – Check traffic.com before you leave to see current conditions and learn about obstacles that may cause traffic later. If you hit a problem on the road: Visit mobi.traffic.com on your web-enabled mobile phone or device: the site is free, and the content can be invaluable. Save 1-866-MY-TRAFC (1-866-698-7232) to a phone favorites list before leaving home. This free hotline provides speed dial access to up-to-the-moment traffic reports to help you avoid heavy traffic, construction, and accidents on your long weekend trip. Send a SMS text message to get real-time traffic information for city hotspots. Simply text your CITY CODE, (NY, CHIC, PHL, LA, etc.) to TRAFC (87232). City codes can be found at bhelp.traffic.com/city-codes-used-for-sms for getting instant traffic information. Wherever you go, drive carefully on Labor Day weekend, and make sure you are well rested and completely sober. Labor Day weekend ranks only behind Thanksgiving and the 4th of July as the most dangerous time to be on American roads.* * Source: National Safety Council. Available at: http://www.nsc.org/Documents/IndDay2011.pdf | Trapster | Planning on taking a road trip this Labor Day weekend? Then the must-have driving app is Trapster! Trapster is a free mobile phone app that alerts you to police speed traps, enforcement cameras, and other wallet hazards.  According to the AAA*, the U.S. saw a 9.9% rise in people traveling during last year's holiday weekend, with 34.4 million travelers heading at least 50 miles from home. Most (91%) traveled by car. So we can expect even larger numbers this year. If you are traveling through areas you are not fully familiar with, Trapster will alert you to enforcement cameras before you reach them.
Besides speed traps and enforcement cameras, Trapster displays real-time traffic, accidents, dangerous curves, and other road hazards so you can avoid holiday travel headaches. Visit trapster.com from your mobile device or simply search for Trapster on your device's app store. Source: AAA News Room  |  | You Said It! | “Traffic.com has been spot on for my Route 128 commute.
It's only 30 miles each way, but can take two hours on a bad day.
I love your site!” – A NAVTEQ Traffic.com user in the greater Boston area | |  | | |  | Student Drivers | Tips for having cars on campus With college costs skyrocketing, more and more students are opting to either live at home, or move off campus to save money on room and board. Here are some tips for collegiate drivers, including how you can use traffic.com to keep your campus commute to a minimum. Intro to Parking
Most college campuses are far from car-friendly. Many have an outright ban on cars for freshman, and some urban campuses have no student parking at all. Of course, there is a considerable degree of variation, so check with the student affairs office at your school to make sure you understand the rules... and follow them. If they don't have parking, ask if any neighbors rent out spaces near campus. Campus Commuter Studies
For those with a longer drive to class, the best way to cut your commute to campus is to schedule classes when traffic is lightest. When possible, avoid classes that begin, or end, near 9 am and 5 pm. If that's unavoidable, take advantage of the campus student center or library during rush hour, and travel during off hours. 
Traffic Study Guides
No matter when or where you travel, traffic.com can show you the best way to get to school everyday on the web or on the road. Personalized traffic updates are available to registered members. And a real-time traffic mobile website is accessible from any web-enabled mobile phone or device and on most major carrier portals. Just enter mobi.traffic.com into your mobile web browser. So, make traffic reports part of your everyday campus commute. Visit traffic.com on your laptop or tablet while at home or at school and check mobi.traffic.com on the road for the very latest on the traffic conditions along your routes. | Extending the Life of Your Navigation System |  Since you bought a navigation system, your life behind the wheel has changed. You never have to stop for directions, wonder how far it is to the next gas station, or waste time and money driving around lost. Recently, though, you've started to notice that some information is missing. Maybe the new subdivision can't be found, a listed restaurant is closed, or your system won't route you over a new bridge. Before you head out to buy a new navigation system, know that you can save some money by simply updating your maps. The maps powering your navigation systems have hundreds of thousands of updates made to them every year. There are new roads, bridges and tunnels, and many thousands of new restaurants, hotels, ATM's, subdivisions, emergency service locations and more. If it's been more than a year since you bought, or updated, your maps, it's at least a little out of date. Here's how you can restore the performance of your system: Visit navigation.com! Offering map update products for more than 200 car models and PNDs, navigation.com is a comprehensive online store for nearly every vehicle with an in-dash navigation system, as well as some PNDs including: Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Garmin, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Magellan, Navigon, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volkswagen and Volvo, to name just a few! Updates can also be purchased for most in-dash systems at local dealerships. So make preparations to get your system up-to-date before getting back in the driver's seat. It's easy, affordable, and gives you the peace of mind of knowing that you're driving with the latest map. | |
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