TRAVEL ALERT
Compliments of Firestik® Antenna Company Technical Support Team
Copyright © 1996 Firestik® Antenna Company
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Of all the many uses that a CB radio offers, by far the best and most useful one is its use as a travelers aide. Granted, CB Radio isn't as modern or "cool" as digital PCS cellular phones but, when you're setting in bumper to bumper traffic … what number are you going to dial on your cell phone. Therein lies one of the major benefits of CB. Whenever there is a traffic problem you can almost always reach someone on channel 19. The information you gather might help you decide between holding your place in line or bailing off at the next exit to have lunch or to bypass the troublesome spot on the highway. Virtually every professional truck driver has a CB in his rig to keep him appraised of road and traffic conditions. And if you're traveling you should give it some serious consideration too … for good reason. The federal government allocated $53 billion to be spent on road construction in 1999. That is an increase of more than $10 billion dollars over the average annual expenditures during the previous five years. In short, there are going to be a lot of bottlenecks and delays on America's roadways for many years to come. As a matter of fact, there are nearly 1,300 potential traffic-snarling road projects underway between the East and West Coasts. To make matters worse, the Travelers Industry Association predicts that car trips will climb 4% during this summer to 229 million (a new record for the fifth consecutive year). The Texas Transportation Institute reports that Americans spend 14.5 million hours every day stuck in traffic and in big cities, motorist waste 58 gallons a gasoline just sitting in traffic. It is estimated that nearly 60 percent of the nation's road are in poor, mediocre or fair condition. Furthermore, nearly a third (31%) of bridges are considered to be functionally obsolete. Poor road conditions are a factor in 30% of the nation's traffic fatalities. In the past decade, between 647 and 833 persons each year have been killed in construction zone accidents, and almost 37,000 have been injured. The fact is, studies in several States have shown that the crash rate in work zones is 21.5 percent to 60 percent higher than before construction began. It is serious business that can affect you, your family and your loved ones. So, if you're traveling this summer you might give some serious thought to having a CB by your side before heading out on your next trip. Following find some highway information links. At least you will have a general idea where the problems are to be found.
RAND McNALLY ON-LINE
NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
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