Help with road trips is just a click away

Ever wonder what the traffic is going to be like when you head to the airport at 5 p.m. on a Friday? Or what the best time of day is to drive somewhere? Google Maps now offers traffic predictions as well as live traffic conditions for certain cities.

Seattle and Portland offer the option in Google Maps. It’s not there yet for Spokane or North Idaho.

1. Go to maps.google.com, click Get directions, fill in your starting address and your destination address and click Get Directions.

2. Click the Traffic button at the top of your map. You will now see the live, color-coded traffic conditions. You’ll also see icons that indicate accidents or construction. To get more information, click on one of the icons.

3. To get traffic predictions, click on the word Change, which is next to the words “Live traffic.”

4. Click on the radio button next to Traffic at day and time and use the drop-down menu and slider to select the day and time that you want traffic predictions for.

5. You will now see color-coded traffic predictions, which are based on past conditions.