Another great addition: one-touch reporting, which allows you to transmit the latest road conditions just by tapping a large onscreen button. This crowd-sourced reporting is one of Traffic's greatest strengths, as it helps make the real-time data as accurate as possible.

The app also has a feature called Unlock From Me, meaning you can finally check the traffic conditions in other areas, not just the immediate vicinity. That's mighty handy.

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.)