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PODCAST

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix

Freeway Traffic Expert Randy A. Keith

Welcome to Mastering the Commute: Your Ultimate Driver"s Handbook and Community!🚗 Transform Your Drive: Imagine a stress-free commute, better gas mileage, and safer trips—every time you hit the road. With Mastering the Commute, you’ll discover practical tips and strategies to make driving easier, more efficient, and even enjoyable.Hosted by Randy Keith, a former Los Angeles airborne traffic reporter with over 25 years of experience, this podcast dives deep into the art and science of

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All Episodes

7:54

Ep. 53 - Driving in Snow (And How it's More...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2026/01/15

Randy shares a vivid story from a Florida-to-Wisconsin road trip: somewhere near Louisville, the snow started falling and drivers started panicking. It happens every year, everywhere—not just in the South. This episode breaks down the mindset, preparation, and techniques for safe snow driving.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:• The "egg on a spoon" technique for smooth acceleration and braking• Snow tires vs. all-season: when each matters most• Why AWD doesn't help you stop (only accelerate)•

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7:16

Ep. 52: Driving in Rain - It's Not Just About Slowing...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2026/01/08

Randy's wife made an observation during a Central Florida downpour: "Nobody knows how to drive in the rain." After living in Arizona, Southern California, and Florida, Randy's heard the same complaint everywhere. This episode explores why rain brings out the worst—and most dangerous—driving behaviors.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:• The two extreme driver types that cause most rain crashes• Why cruise control in the rain can make you spin out• Regional differences: Florida vs. California

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7:24

Ep. 51: A Compilation and Recap of Season 1...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2026/01/01

Send us a text Support the show 🚦 New Episodes Every Thursday at 8 AM ET! Thanks for tuning in to Mastering the Commute! Ready to take your driving to the next level? Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, dropping every Thursday morning at 8 AM ET. 🎧 Join me each week as we tackle topics like merging mastery, the truth about phantom jams, and real-world strategies for safer, stress-free driving. 🔗 Don’t forget to test your driving skills with the free Drive Smart Quiz and

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10:32

Ep. 50: "I've Made Every Mistake I Warn You About" -...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/12/25

Episode 50: "I've Made Every Mistake I Warn You About" - Season 1 Finale The final episode of Season 1 gets brutally honest. No stats, no studies, no citations—just raw confessions from a traffic expert who's made every dangerous mistake he now warns others about. Randy shares five categories of near-misses and hard lessons learned the difficult way, proving that expertise doesn't come from perfection—it comes from surviving your own failures. LESSON 1: FATIGUE IS A KILLER Three chapters of...

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7:20

Ep. 49 - Politics at 65 MPH (The Road is an Analogy...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/12/18

Driving is one of the few places where people of every belief, background, and worldview share the same space — whether they like it or not. In this episode, Randy explores how the road works as a perfect analogy for democracy: competing priorities, shared rules, cooperation, conflict, compromise, and the constant tension between personal freedom and collective responsibility. Drawing from years of traffic reporting, pattern‑spotting, and real‑world encounters, Randy breaks down why political...

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7:14

Ep. 48: Holiday Spirit on the Road

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/12/11

The holidays bring joy, lights, and—let’s be honest—a little more stress on the roads. In this episode, Randy explores how seasonal pressures impact our driving behavior, and why this time of year is the perfect opportunity to shift into a more generous, patient mindset behind the wheel. From last-minute shoppers to icy road conditions, we unpack how to channel the true holiday spirit—even in traffic. 💡 Topics include: Emotional self-regulation during holiday commutesSeasonal spikes in

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6:08

Ep. 47 - Highway Patrol and Happy Holidays

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/12/04

This week, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked parts of holiday driving: the men and women out on the road keeping everyone safe when risk is at its highest. December brings family, celebration, and travel — but it also brings more DUIs, more drowsy drivers, and more people rushing on limited sleep.I share a late-night moment on Highway 50 here in Central Florida that reminded me how easily danger hides in plain sight… and how quickly a trained officer can pick up what the rest of us

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7:54

Ep. 46 - My Giving Thanks (A Look Back at Radio,...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/11/27

Episode 46: Thanksgiving Special - From Bedroom Broadcasts to the Big Leagues This Thanksgiving, Randy shares his complete journey from a 4-year-old with a cassette recorder to becoming a professional freeway traffic expert. Hear the story behind KRAK 98.5, Stereo97FM, and his years reporting traffic for KNX 1070 and other major stations. Featured in this episode: Early childhood recordings and piano performancesKRAK 98.5 bedroom broadcasts (age 4)Stereo97FM and building homemade transmitters...

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7:30

Ep. 45 - Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday Driving Guide

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/11/20

Episode Summary With over 55 million Americans hitting the road for Thanksgiving, Randy breaks down the complete survival guide for holiday travel. From timing your departure to avoid traffic hell, to understanding the science behind phantom jams, to managing road rage when family expectations meet highway reality. This episode gives you the tools to arrive at your destination in one piece and the right frame of mind to actually enjoy the people you drove all that way to see. Key Topics Cover...

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6:54

Ep. 44 - Spousal Backseat Driving

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/11/13

Episode 44: "Spousal Backseat Driving" - When Love Meets the Road Ever pulled over mid-trip because of a driving argument? You're not alone. This episode dives into why couples clash behind the wheel - from following distance debates to passenger seat anxiety. Featuring real stories from listeners like Jenni (Chase Bank teller who admits to "coaching" her husband) and my own Vegas highway meltdown with Amy that taught us both valuable lessons about communication under pressure. Learn th...

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6:03

Ep. 43 - Trusting Your GPS

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/11/06

Remember when we used Thomas Guides and actually knew how to read maps? In this episode, I share insights from my traffic reporting days about when to trust GPS and when to trust your instincts. We explore the psychology behind GPS dependency, common routing failures, and how to reclaim your role as the driver.In This Episode: • Why GPS isn't always "real-time" enough • The psychology of GPS dependency and "screen tunnel vision"• When to override your navigation app with

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6:41

Ep. 42: Halloween Traffic - Haunted Highways and...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/10/30

Halloween isn't just about costumes and candy — it's one of the most dangerous and congested nights of the year for drivers. From trick-or-treaters flooding neighborhood streets to massive crowds at theme parks like Universal Horror Nights, Disney Halloween parties, and Knott's Scary Farm, traffic patterns completely shift on October 31st. Randy breaks down what to expect between 5-9 PM in residential areas, how to navigate haunted house traffic jams, and why theme park exits become

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7:16

Ep. 41 - Rushing (and Why It Rarely Gets Us Anywhere)

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/10/23

Episode 41: "The Urge to Rush - Why It Rarely Pays Off"My dashcam captured the perfect example: an aggressive driver cuts me off, weaves through traffic, burns extra fuel, and ends up in the exact same spot. The math behind rushing tells a brutal truth - aggressive lane-changers save only 26 seconds on city drives while dramatically increasing crash risk. Discover why rushing triggers fight-or-flight mode, how steady movement beats constant acceleration, and the mindset shift that

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7:06

Ep. 40 - Floods Revisited: The Aftermath (Part 2 from...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/10/16

Episode 40: "Floods, Revisited - The Aftermath"My flood story doesn't end when the water drains away. After my 2018 Kia Rio was totaled in floodwater, the real challenge began: navigating today's upside-down car market where insurance payouts don't match replacement costs. Discover why buying new sometimes makes more sense than used, how "market adjustments" became the norm, and what happens when a $47,000 MSRP becomes $55,000 out the door. Plus insights from

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7:11

Ep. 39 - The "Inching Epidemic" - Getting Nowhere...

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/10/09

We've all done it - sitting at a red light, slowly creeping forward inch by inch even though the light hasn't changed. But why do we inch forward when it doesn't get us anywhere faster? And what are the hidden consequences of this seemingly harmless habit?In this episode, we dive deep into the psychology behind "inching" - that universal driving behavior that spreads from car to car like a contagious dance. From red lights to drive-thrus to school pickup lines, we explore

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6:01

Ep. 38 - School Busses and Cop Cars - Can I Pass Them?

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/10/02

Stop creating phantom traffic jams! This week we tackle two traffic situations that confuse drivers everywhere: when you actually need to stop for school buses (hint: not always), and why you don't need to panic-brake every time you see a cop car.What We Cover: • School bus stop sign laws - divided vs undivided roads • The 5 MPH speed tolerance reality • Different types of law enforcement and their priorities • Why highway patrol ≠ local police ≠ private security • How fear-based driving

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6:47

Ep. 37- Autonomous Cars and the Traffic-Free Dream World

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/09/25

Episode 37: What If Every Car Was Automated? - The Future of TrafficForget flying cars - the real transportation revolution is happening now. What would traffic look like if we took human error completely out of the equation? Spoiler alert: it's not full automation that wins.Inspired by a simple question about what driving will look like in 50 years, this episode explores the fascinating world of automated traffic flow and why the future might look more like airline autopilot than sci-fi

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6:11

Ep. 36 - Zipper Merge Revisited

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/09/18

Why do Americans hate the zipper merge while Germans embrace it? In this cultural deep dive, we explore how different societies view merging - from America's fairness-first mentality that sees late mergers as "cheaters," to Germany's law-based order, Scandinavia's cooperative trust, and Japan's harmony-focused approach. Discover why merging isn't just about traffic engineering - it's a mirror reflecting our cultural values around competition, cooperation, and

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5:51

Ep. 35: Phantom Jams Revisited

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/09/11

Episode 35: Phantom Jams, Revisited - The Traffic Mystery SolvedEver been stuck in traffic that just... disappears? No accident, no construction, just mysterious brake lights that vanish into thin air? Welcome to the phantom jam - one of the most frustrating traffic phenomena that costs Americans 54+ hours per year.This episode revisits our popular Episode 2 topic with fresh research and actionable solutions.What We Cover:The science behind phantom jams and the "amplification effect"Why

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6:40

Ep. 34: The Surprising Truth About US Traffic Rankings

Mastering the Commute: Your 6-Minute Traffic Fix ·

2025/09/04

Explore the real domestic traffic hierarchy and discover why rapidly growing cities like Charlotte and Kansas City are experiencing traffic problems that rival traditional congestion capitals.Key Topics: • Top 10 US traffic cities and surprising mid-tier rankings • How "hours lost" calculations work and their limitations • Charlotte's 20% population growth vs. 4% highway capacity increase • Austin's infrastructure designed for 250k now serving 1M+ people • Kansas City's

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