Call me crazy, but I hate being stuck in traffic. I absolutely hate being stuck in traffic. The thought of being in a motor vehicle while staring at the back of another motor vehicle in the middle of my commute home sends chills down my spine.

Now I’ve tried dialing my FM radio in to one of the local stations to get the traffic reports, but after the 3rd Aflac, 4th diet program, and 2nd vote for me commercial, my nerves can’t stand it. Traffic + radio noise just drives me nuts.

Enter, Beat the Traffic. This little app is a divine Godsend. It’s design: simple. Its interface: easy to use. Its purpose: single fold. That is, to inform you of any traffic related issues and update on a regular basis.

Granted, there are other apps out there that provide you with traffic reports. There are even a ton of GPS devices that provide "alternate routes" based on traffic flow, but I like having a simple app that visualizes the flow of traffic for me so that I can make my own decisions about which route would be best for me to take.

When you first load the app, it begins to find your location via traditional location means: GPS, wifi, or cell tower. Once it finds your general location, it shows a Google map with a traffic overlay. Green for smooth flowing. Yellow for sluggish traffic. Red for "Holy crap this is going to take a while" traffic. It also has a handy "Report" button that allows you to report accidents, construction zones, and road hazards, which does count as doing a good deed for the day, should you run into anything that hasn't been reported.

All in all, it's a great app. Download it from the Android Market.