Waking up to a bright and sunny day, full of energy and enthusiasm, you make your way to work, only to find that the road works or accident up ahead will add an extra hour to your travel time.  Chances are this happens to you more than is good for your sanity.

Garmap has come up with a possible solution to this dilemma in the form of Garmap Live Traffic.

Garmap Live Traffic is a monthly subscription service for your GPS enabled mobile phone, which allows you to plan your route according to where the traffic hold up is.

“Traffic congestion, accidents, road works and power failures are just some of the challenges that South African drivers face on a daily basis as they commute and travel for business,” says Andrew McHenry, head of mobile for Garmap.

Garmap Live Traffic is based on live real-time information that is continually being updated from a variety of sources to make certain that the information is always precise.
 
The subscription costs for this service are:

•     1 month - R29
•     3 months - R85
•     1 year - R299
•     2 years - R549

Alternatively you can download a one week free trail version of the software (709kb) by SMSing the word TRAFFIC to 32541 and following the link. Also note that you have to send another confirmation SMS. For a full list of compatible phones and smartphones you can check their website.

“All you need is one accident on the highway to ruin your day, which is why an early warning of what the traffic situation looks like before – and even while – you drive is an indispensable tool”, says McHenry.