The drive time in the Southern Tier is considerably less than the big cities like New York, Boston and Philly, but we still experience our traffic jams and here are a few ways I deal with Driving in Binghamton.

I was a morning man in radio for over 20 years and started my day very early, driving to work at 3:30am was relatively traffic free.

I recently changed positions here at the radio station and now I leave for work during the morning rush.

It took me a few weeks to find the sweet spot between the school buses and major congestion which starts around 7am.

I drive a few of the back roads to avoid Hooper Road in Endwell which always seems to be very slow, I’m never in a hurry but a nice drive on the back roads allows me to take in the day and collect my thoughts without some idiot on my bumper.

Climbing on the route 17 near the Oakdale Mall I head into the prospect mountain construction zone, I learned very fast to get in the lane that will take you to the exit and refrain from trying to pass a bunch of cars and then cut over into your lane at the last minute.

I see cars do this on a daily basis and every time we report an accident in that area, the visions of the maniacs I see on a daily basis come to mind.

Speeding and reckless driving will lead to a speeding ticket or worse

The Vestal Parkway can be a nightmare, if you’re not the type of person who can stop at 25 red lights on your way to work, you can take Old Vestal Road, it’s slower and you’ll probably encounter some big trucks, but you’ll move along.

The highways will get you to where you want to go the fastest, but you’ll also witness the most careless displays of driving.

The best advice is to allow yourself enough time to get to your morning destination safe.

More From 98.1 The Hawk