Question about gps/traffic info package

[Tom Z]

I have XM Radio with Nav Traffic, my question is this: If I don't program a destination into my GPS & just drive with it on showing my present driving location, will the traffic info come on & show any construction or traffic slowdowns without me having to activate it? If it doesn't how do I activate traffic info? Thanks.

 

[dg_moore]

I have XM Radio with Nav Traffic, my question is this: If I don't program a destination into my GPS & just drive with it on showing my present driving location, will the traffic info come on & show any construction or traffic slowdowns without me having to activate it? If it doesn't how do I activate traffic info? Thanks.

I found that the most reliable way to assess the traffic situation is to look around. If you're trapped in a traffic jam with no possible detour, you may or may not receive a traffic notification within the next few minutes. This has been my experience with XM nav, unfortunately. FWIW.....

 

[rmorgan56]

Tom, you can view active traffic squawks by pushing the shuttle down once, selecting "XM Traffic," then pushing it a second time.

By sad coincidence, I was two miles from a road-closing accident last Monday, and less than a mile from a ghastly multi-car (car traveling wrong way on the interstate) on Saturday. In both cases, I was too close for the XM to help, but also in both cases, I saw that the initial data popped up within less than 10 minutes and was updated in about 20 to show that the road was closed. I now include looking at the traffic screen as part of my startup routine, and one day last week it showed a closure on my morning drive which I was able to go around. These three experiences lead me to think that while it's no panacea, the XM traffic is worth toggling every now and then.

 

[ctrcbob]

I have XM Radio with Nav Traffic, my question is this: If I don't program a destination into my GPS & just drive with it on showing my present driving location, will the traffic info come on & show any construction or traffic slowdowns without me having to activate it? If it doesn't how do I activate traffic info? Thanks.

If you have the Tech Pkg, you do not need to program a destination.
That being said, the Nav Traffic may or may not show on your screen, depending of if the local authorities have reported it to XM.

If your screen shows the word "Traffic" in the upper left of your screen, then you will also see various icons on the screen showing that there is something going on. Just push down on the DIS Knob, and on next screen, push on "NavTraffic", and it will tell you where (distance and direction from you) there are problems. Then choose one of those locations, and your screen will then show exactly where and what the problem is by road or intersection.

You may also get Red/Yellow/Green (R/Y/G) "guide" lines, to show you how traffic is moving on those roads. These R/Y/G lines are only on major roads.

Note that both the Traffic icons and the R/Y/G lines are independent from each other. You may have one (either one) and not the other. They do not show up everywhere. Only where local authorities report these things to XM.
I get the R/Y/G lines in most of Florida, but once I cross into Georgia, I very seldom see those lines. The "Traffic" word (upper left) shows up almost everywhere.

If you have a Non Tech car, sorry, I don't know how that operates.