Patent ID: 8207866

Claim:
A method of alerting the operator of a transportation vehicle of a potentially significant travel condition, comprising the steps of: providing a travel condition monitoring system disposed to store and transmit advisory messages as advisory signals indicative of a travel condition which may affect transportation vehicles and which pertain to a predetermined geographic area; providing a location determining arrangement disposed to determine location of the transportation vehicle; providing aboard a transportation vehicle a travel condition annunciating system for receiving advisory signals corresponding to advisory messages which are transmitted by the travel condition monitoring system and a sound generator; and causing the sound generator to emit a sound within the transportation vehicle automatically and responsively to the travel condition monitoring system transmitting at least one advisory message indicative of a travel condition which actively affects vehicle operation when the location determining arrangement determines that the vehicle is within a predetermined proximity of the geographic area to which the advisory message pertains, wherein the travel condition monitoring system monitors establishment of lane restrictions which may restrict use of at least one lane by a particular transportation vehicle and generates advisory messages annunciating lane restrictions on the road being negotiated by the transportation vehicle.