Getting stuck in traffic can be a major headache. One of the worst parts of the stop-and-go gridlock is that you can feel helpless behind the wheel, as there's not much you can do to make the experience better. However, a new program from the infrastructure advocacy group Building America's Future is making it easy for drivers to alert their U.S. Representative or Senator and vent their frustration about the roads.
The mobile app, called "I'm Stuck," allows drivers to send a real-time report of traffic conditions directly to their elected officials. They can then let the politicians know what is causing the delays. BAF hopes that, if enough people use the platform, officials will be forced to look at areas where infrastructure may improve traffic.
"Usually commuters think traffic is like weather - it is something that happens to them and they have no control over it. But that isn't the case at all," said former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, now a leader at BAF. "The policies we put in place, or the lack of a coherent long-term infrastructure plan, directly impacts the daily experience of Americans trying to get around their communities."
Drivers should be ready to take part in the program. Heavy traffic can burn through fuel, and is also the setting for many accidents. Preventing these situations, as well as the auto repair and spending that goes with them, is important to many motorists.