Driving and Los Angeles. Two words that, to most, conjure up visions of crippling chaos coupled with debilitating delays. But it doesn't have to be that way. Preparing just five minutes before leaving your hotel or residence could save you hours of lost time on L.A.'s infamous freeway system.

In times such as these, it seems the only way to ensure success is to have a plan. Getting from point 'A' to point 'B' is no different. Whether you live in Southern California, are here on vacation, or are in town on business, one has to be prepared. Knowledge is power. Without it stress thrives and blood pressures rise. But with it, it's a whole new ball game. One feels in control and ahead of the game.

What follows are tips to get you started out the door with a feeling of empowerment. Beating the freeway system can be very rewarding but you have to understand it to beat it. You have to be able to identify potential problem precursors and we'll touch on some of those in just a bit. So let's get started.

The first attribute one must maintain is a positive mind set. One cannot get up in the morning dreading the drive and expect it to be anything but dreadful. Need we be reminded once again about the ever present law of attraction?

If you're here on business and you flew in a day early, do yourself a favor, put the remote down to the flat screen in your hotel room and instead pick up a connection to the wireless service offered. Go to www.maps.yahoo.com ; map out your from' and to' then click the Hybrid button and then the Live Traffic button. This will show you exactly how traffic is flowing in real time. You might even want to watch this a few days in advance of your trip so you can determine what the traffic patterns are going to most likely resemble when it comes time to actually driving to your destination. Depending on how important your affair is, I further suggest you do a trial run. But before you venture out, however, you need to prepare for the dry run just as if you were for the morning of your event.

Local station KTLA, Ch. 5, is a great place for traffic updates. But, if it's the middle of the day and the Young and the Restless are the only things stirring, I suggest visiting www.dailynews.com . There you can find Live Traffic updates for any of the freeway systems you'll be using. If the freeway you need isn't immediately seen, simply click the Live Traffic button. That brings you to a map created by www.sigalert.com . There you can see exactly

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