California Adds New Handsfree Road Condition Update

SACRAMENTO -- Motorists no longer have to take their eyes off the road to punch numbers into their cell phone while seeking road condition information, the California Department of Transportation said Monday.

They now can use a $2 million voice-activated system and say the name of the highway instead of selecting the highway number on the phone key pad.

The system covers all 255 state highways. Once the caller says the route number, the system automatically provides a recording of road conditions.

The toll-free highway information number -- 800-427-ROAD -- can be dialed from a wired phone as well, and callers still can key in the road number if they wish.

The state spent nearly $2 million to install the voice activation feature on the 404 phone lines that make up the information network. Last year the system logged more than five million information requests, 40 percent of them from cellular users.