NBC Bay Area has launched the NBC Bay Area Traffic Cam, a free service for Bay Area commuters to provide up-to-the-second, live traffic video on their mobile phones.

The application for mobile devices gives drivers access to live video from traffic cameras operated by the California Department of Transportation, better known as Caltrans. The service is provided by 3rd Dimension Inc.'s Mobileyes platform and will assist Bay Area drivers in planning the safest and most efficient commutes.

"We are launching the Bay Area traffic cams," said Eric Joseph, president and COO of 3rd Dimension, San Francisco. "We are letting people see traffic on their cell phones and hope it will help ease the congestion and frustration of being stuck in traffic."

NBC Bay Area is owned by NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

The NBC Bay Area Traffic Cam will offer users access to cameras as they head out to area ski slopes and beaches providing them with real-time traffic conditions for their leisure pursuits.

The service, which is advertising supported, is compatible with data enabled phones on the Sprint, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile networks.

Advertisers include McDonalds, Sprint and BMW.

Users can access the service on popular smart phones including the iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm and Motorola Q.

Bay Area commuters download the app from the NBC Bay Area website at www.nbcbayarea.com/mobile or by calling 877-622-2291.

Once installed, users can view roadside traffic cameras and avoid traffic.

Selecting cameras along the route from the menus is simple and user-friendly and favorite routes can be saved and accessed quickly with a push of a single button.

"Nearly three quarters of all Bay Area commuters drive to work which translates into tens of thousands of commuters getting stuck on heavily traveled highways like the 101," Mr. Joseph said. "The launch of the NBC Bay Area Traffic Cam will help drivers plan their routes better no matter where they are going into and out of the Bay Area."