The Sally Traffic Handbook

Everybody needs a friend. Somebody to share joys and frustrations with. For millions of drivers Sally Boazman is that friend. As the country’s leading traffic and travel report, she is known throughout the UK as Sally Traffic, the voice of the traffic news on Radio 2 – the country's most listened to radio station. Having worked with the likes of Des Lynam, Steve Wright, Johnnie Walker, Ken Bruce and Chris Evans, she is the woman who changed the face of traffic news. Millions of people tune into her informative and witty bulletins. Most of all, Britain’s truckers have taken Sally into their hearts, their cabs and their lives.

There have been traffic news reporters before but as veteran broadcaster, Steve Wright, writes in his foreword to the book: In my view she's not your average traffic reporter, but someone who has clearly become a national treasure.

Many more will soon be fans of Sally thanks to the publication by Haynes of her first book, The Sally Traffic Handbook. In addition to being entertaining (as a student teacher, she once locked a child in a stationery cupboard), Sally's book is packed with useful information. As she writes in the Introduction: Above all, I want to show you the fun side of driving and how you can get the most out of your mileage.

Her advice is always practical – keep stuff in your glovebox for when you are stuck in traffic. And sing along to the radio or CDs – Sally claims this is very good for getting queues moving. Talking of CDs, Sally lists tracks she loves to drive to which include King Of The Road (Roger Miller) and Lost Highway (Hank Williams). Her classical music playlist for the road has Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance alongside ‘spring’ from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

Her tips for times to avoid travelling include Friday afternoons, August and Sundays after 5:00pm. For truckers, she advises knowing the height and width of their vehicles and double-checking ropes, straps and curtains.

Sally's favourite driving jokes include: ‘What do you do if you see a spaceman?’ ‘Park your car in it, man’. She enjoys embarrassing place names such as Lickey End and Thong, and lists interesting facts – on average, there are about 980 metres of electrical wiring in every car.

With the honour of having an Eddie Stobart lorry named after her, Sally has certainly captured the hearts of the nation's drivers. With The Sally Traffic Handbook, she will gain the affection of many readers. And, as Steve Wright states, she smells nice too.

Radio 2 listeners will delight in all the wisdom, facts and anecdotes in Sally’s book, from guidance on the best roads and places to stop, to quirky stories of rubber-neckers, lane huggers and real-life stories from Radio 2 listeners. An ideal Christmas stocking filler for all motoring enthusiasts.

Sally will be embarking on a national promotional tour, for further details please visit haynes.co.uk/sallytraffic

Facts, fun and frolics from BBC Radio 2’s Sally Boazman
Publication date: Tuesday 16th October
RRP: £9.99, Hardback, ISBN: 978 84425 461 3