We've all felt that feeling. Anger, rage, disappointment, anxiety... it can all be summed up with one word... TRAFFIC.

Until I saw those red lights ahead. It could only mean one thing... an accident. My perfect day was ruined by a careless merger. It wasn't on the radio, there was no way of knowing... or was there?

There have been many advances in the GPS world in the last 3 years but one of the biggest and most loved is integrated traffic reports. If you are cruising along and a traffic "situation" appears in your route, the GPS unit will alert you to the impending traffic up ahead. At the single push of a button, you can be automatically re-routed to completely avoid even the smallest remnants of a backup. Traffic is transmitted via FM radio waves and usually costs about $5 a month to keep you out of gridlock.

The service is quickly expanding and in a few years will be available almost everywhere, however, the list below indicates where it is currently available:



We have recommended three GPS units with traffic capabilities. We chose one from three different price ranges, and all had to meet the following qualifications:

• You do not have to purchase accessories to use traffic avoidance
• It has received approval from both our customers and our experts here
• It costs less than $10 per month to subscribe