For the price of less-than a gallon of gas you can gain an edge that will put you ahead of the rest of the motorists vying for space on the highways of Southern California. This advantage extends to:

local residents who've lived here for years and are grizzled veterans of the commute;

new licensees who are working up the courage to tackle the freeways;

individuals recently relocating to Southern California; and

out-of-town business travelers and tourists who face the scary prospect of renting a car to get around.

By also providing an understanding of why "traffic happens," this guidebook strives to provide extra confidence to help anyone. More importantly, Survive the Drive! How to Beat Freeway Traffic in Southern California provides valuable insight to avoid traffic jams in the first place by divulging secrets about commuting that only the insiders traffic reporters and law enforcement officers have previously been privy. Learn how to:

plan ahead to determine the quickest commute;

get the most out of radio traffic reports;

choose between staying on the freeway or opting for a surface street;

find alternate routes around major accidents;

avoid getting lost;

gain advance knowledge of freeway-construction bottlenecks;

cope with commuting stress and avoid being a victim of road rage;

deal with traffic conditions unique to Southern California;

apply some knowledge of traffic engineering to improve your drive; and

understand the politics and economics of traffic policy.

In many cases, the source of this information comes from experts in the field such as Caltrans officials, California Highway Patrol officers, transportation engineers, psychologists, doctors, local law enforcement representatives and other experts.

Throughout the book, instructional information is supported by true-life stories that provide insightful, if not amusing, glimpses into our lives behind the wheel. Follows just a short sample of commonly-pondered questions by Southern California motorists:

Why does traffic inexplicable worsen?
Why do we gawk at accidents?
Just what is a Sigalert, anyway?
Why can't back seat drivers shut up?
Do real men ask for directions?
Why don't I, 'Get the hell out of my way!' suffer from road rage?

This wealth of information is provided in an engaging, light narrative style as seen through the eyes of a former traffic reporter. Digested directly from Dr. Roadmap's series of successful newspaper columns and magazine articles, the individual sections and chapters allow for easy stop-and-go reading and ready reference. In fact, if you want to get right to the crux of the matter, feel free to dive in at Section II.

Section I. How Bad Is It, Doc? provides a description of the current [sorry] state of affairs on our roads.

Section II. So What's the Remedy for Beating Traffic? reveals several tools and options for dealing with traffic on a daily basis.

Section III. More Useful Tools to Survive the Drive provides in-depth solutions for problems outside of regular traffic jams. This includes unplanned problems such as adverse weather or even earthquakes.

Section IV. Answers about Life behind the Wheel responds to several most-frequently asked questions about motoring in Southern California.

Section V. Will We Stay Stuck Forever? attempts to predict the future of gridlock in Southern California. A brief glimpse of our past provides keen insight into what to expect. Projected solutions indicate hope beats eternal.

The Appendix also includes valuable contact information for local transportation agencies, as well as must-visit Website addresses for those seeking up-to-the-second information on traffic conditions.

Combined, the entire contents work to help put you ahead of the less-informed motorist. Read this book and prepare to survive the drive in Southern California. The goal is to get you "there" quicker.