Fight Gridlock with Free Inrix Traffic 3.0 App for Android and iPhone

If you spend a lot of time in your car, commuting to/from work, visiting clients, and so on, it's a safe bet that traffic is your worst enemy. (Second-worst: gas prices.) If only you had some magic tool that could monitor and even predict the traffic along your route.

The Inrix Traffic app for iPhone and Android is that magic tool. It provides real-time traffic data for your area, complete with accidents, construction, and other delay-causing events. Even better, it can forecast the length of the delay, which is fantastic for those times when you're trying to decide if you should hop off at the next exit or just wait it out.

The new version, 3.0, adds a feature known as comparative traffic. Here's how CNET Car Tech blogger Antuan Goodwin describes it:

Comparative Traffic is an at-a-glance look at the major differences between the current traffic conditions and normal traffic trends. Roads that are moving more slowly than average are marked with a thick black overlay while those moving faster get a light blue overlay. This view make it easy for users who are familiar with traffic trends to quickly spot and potentially avoid problems.

Version 3.0 also adds Unlock From Me, meaning you can finally check the traffic conditions in other areas, not just the immediate vicinity. Great stuff.

Amazingly, Inrix Traffic is still free. I've used it countless times to preserve my sanity in stop-and-go gridlock. If you own a smartphone and a car, I'd say it's a must-have app.

(Just please, please don't use it while your car is moving. Let a passenger check the maps, or wait until you're stopped. You already know how dangerous it is to text and drive; monitoring a traffic app is no different. The car you rear-end could be, well, mine.)

More on BNET:

• Let Your Phone Notify People That You're Going to be Late
• Suit Commute: A Backpack for Your Suit
• Get to Work Faster with Beat the Traffic (BlackBerry/iPhone)