511NY: New York State's New Official Traffic and Travel Information Source
Dial 511 or visit www.511NY.org to find the most efficient route to take, avoiding accidents and congestion. 511 New York is a new travel-information service from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). The 511 New York service incorporates real-time traffic alerts from the NYSDOTs TransAlert program, and the MTA, Thruway Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jerseys traffic-alert programs. This information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 511 is the national three-digit phone number reserved for travel information. The phone service is an interactive voice system reachable by landline and cellular phones and driven by a users voice or phone keys. A personalized TransAlert subscription service provides notifications of major incidents and can be customized to give alerts by region and travel corridor. 511 NY is groundbreaking in bringing together a multitude of transportation information available in New York State in one portal so you no longer need many individual phone numbers and Web sites. 511 NY provides information on: Emergency alerts about major transportation problems; Traffic conditions, camera images, speeds; Work zones and construction reports; Border-crossing conditions; Transit conditions; Weather conditions and forecasts; Transit trip-planning (door to door); Transit services; Intercity bus and rail services; Paratransit services; Carpools and vanpools; Park-and-ride lot locations; Airports and airport access services; Ferries, tunnels and bridges; Commercial vehicle information; Bicycling; and Toll information. 511 NY replaces the 1-800-Roadwork hotline for Long Island Commuters. Besides using a computer, travel and transportation information is accessible using Web-enabled phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants). Other hand-held, mobile and in-vehicle electronic devices eventually will be supported. AAA New York suggests using 511 New York service before leaving for a trip so that distractions are avoided. A study by Virginia Tech University and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that nearly 80 percent of car crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver distraction within 3 second of the event. Cell phone use is considered to be a form of driver distraction. The lawyers at Levine & Slavit have decades of experience handling personal injury claims including those involving auto accidents. For over 50 years spanning 3 generations, we have obtained results for satisfied clients. We have offices in Manhattan and Long Island, handling cases in New York City, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and surrounding areas. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact the personal injury lawyers at Levine & Slavit for their help. To learn more, watch our videos.