We have been teaching youth about the ins and outs of buying a car. The adults who who been with us to help always mention how much they wish they had known some things to do before they bought their last car.
511
One of the things I learned about was an app called Florida 511 Mobile App. The tax collector’s office in Hamilton County provided a brochure at our last class, I thought I would share. (I have to confess, my friends and family are VERY surprised at me suggesting an app as I am typically app averse!)
This app is free. It has traffic and incident information for the state of Florida in both English and Spanish. It shares accidents, congestion, closures and blocked lanes, as well as serve as a GPS giving directions and drive times for your routes. You can look at a specific location or statewide.
Have A passenger check for issues once driving or before you get out on the road to avoid frustration and unnecessary travel delays.
Hurricane Season
This is also a great tool to make sure you have downloaded in case of a hurricane. Hurricane season has already started and we expect another busy year. Residents who evacuate can use the system to plan their motor trip and see road conditions before leaving home. Alerts will appear on the website if there are any motor travel and traffic announcements related to the storm. It is also helpful to check the Florida 511 Mobile App for motor travel conditions before returning home. Those who do not evacuate are encouraged to use FL511 after a storm to get current road conditions before venturing out. Roads can be affected days after a storm with downed trees, flooding or other impediments.
For car buying tips or hurricane preparedness tips contact Katherine at nrgkate@ufl.edu
Or check out:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/entity/topic/hurricanes
https://extensiondisaster.net/hazard-resources/naturally-occurring/hurricane/