Drivers can now Navigate the Fastest way out of Traffic Using their Cell Phones

 Researchers have rolled out new software that can be downloaded for free onto cell phones and used to get quicker and more accurate traffic information to plan driving routes. This software turns cell phones into mobile traffic investigations.
This was the effort of UC Berkeley and Nokia phone company researchers who have devoted so much time to ensuring that the project became a success. Researchers said the system -- the first of its kind -- has promise to make traffic monitoring more effective worldwide, saving time, fuel and exasperation.
"This can give better information to drivers to improve their travel planning," Alexandre Bayen, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and co-leader of the project, said at a Monday morning media briefing on campus. "As we have entered the era of the mobile Internet, cellular devices are providing us with ubiquitous sensing capabilities that will rapidly revolutionize location-based services."
As a motorist drives along, his mobile phone will automatically transmit information about his driving speed, direction and location. Centralized computers will collect and organize the data from him and other drivers, then send back traffic updates to cell phones to show motorists where to avoid gridlock and where to find flowing lanes.
The accuracy of the traffic information will improve as more people sign up over time, project managers said. They have a goal of getting 10,000 cell phones enrolled by April, but expect to hit that milestone earlier in the tech-savvy Bay Area.