About 34.4 million Americans were expected to take road trips this past Labor Day Weekend. AAA expected the number of people taking trips to increase by nearly 10% over last year. An estimated 9 out of 10 travelers were driving to their destination. More than 12,000 highway projects are taking place due to the federal stimulus program. States were doing what they can to reduce traffic congestion by moving around construction times, but delays were expected in many areas.
All this might have been bad for travelers, but this is a glimmer of hope and chance for the auto industry. If Americans are driving more, that means they have more disposable income that they could potentially use to buy cars. The article also mentions that many new luxury cars have navigation systems with traffic feeds. Think of all the times you were stuck in traffic and how agonizing it was. Time spent waiting in the car is time you could have spent relaxing or earning some money. Navigation systems are becoming more prevalent, so if traffic feeds were attached to this and sold to every day cars, there is a lot of money to be made. Car companies can use all this summer traffic congestion as a selling point for traffic feeds that could save drivers countless hours.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421104575463521832020654.html?mod=WSJ_auto_TopRightCarousel_1
Good summary of the article Mario, but include what your thoughts are on this.
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