According to navigation system maker TomTom USA in Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S. drivers spent enough combined hours sitting in traffic during their afternoon commutes last year to reach the moon and back 2.5 times.
Since many of us crawl home at far less than rocket-ship speed, the experts at TomTom have provided a few simple suggestions to help make one’s workday trek a quicker and less stressful process:
1. Leave on the half hour. More commuters hit the road on the dot, so venture home at odd times to dodge the traffic waves.
2. Know peak traffic times and avoid them. As a rule, leaving work before 3:45 p.m. or after 5:45 p.m. can help get ahead of, or behind the periods during which the most cars are clogging local arteries.
3. Consult traffic reports. Heed broadcast or Internet-posted travel times - or use a GPS navigation device that includes real-time traffic information - to determine the road less travelled, so to speak, and avoid congestion
