IBM’s app will help you beat traffic jams & high gas prices

We’ve all been there: stuck in traffic just wanting to get to our destination before we drop another four-letter word that’s not allowed on TV. Being stuck at an intersection doesn’t just raise your level of anger, it also wastes an enormous amount of gas. IBM is tinkering with a new smartphone app that will help you get around traffic snafus and save gas at the same time.

If you’ve ever relied on your smartphone for directions you know that many of the apps aren’t that reliable; they aren’t made to give you a warning about construction or even car accidents. Many American drivers don’t realize that on average we sit for 34 hours a year in backed up in traffic and waste $808 in gas. IBM aims to change that fact through their Smarter Traveler project that will predict traffic patterns before they happen.

The program combines two main sources of information, GPS coordinates on your route and data from IBM’s Traffic Prediction Tool (TPT). The TPT interprets data from a number of sources: intersections, toll booths, road sensors, public transit, parking meters. First off, the system takes a look at your routine and any trips you take on a regular basis. Before you take off to the gym or work, the app will send you an email or text message with the current road conditions and alternative routes from the TPT. To catch developing traffic events like accidents the system also takes a look at the frequency of 911 emergency calls in your targeted area.

Those smartphone owners in congested cities like Chicago may be itching to download IBM’s creation, but its still in it’s infancy. IBM is testing out the program in the San Francisco Bay area with some help from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT). If the app ever makes it out of the testing phase it could have a real impact not only in the American market but also overseas. Cities like Beijing could really use the app not only to guide their residents around traffic snafus but also to better understand traffic patterns in order to improve their lackluster urban planning skills.