28 August 2009

Traffic nav systems cut driving time

Drivers who use a navigation system with real-time traffic information can save close to a fifth of their travel time, according to research commissioned by Navteq, the provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions.

The results are from a three pronged study conducted in two metropolitan areas of Germany – Dusseldorf and Munich - which evaluated drivers without a navigation system, drivers with a navigation system, and drivers with a navigation system including real-time traffic.

The study revealed that the drivers using traffic enabled navigation devices experienced dramatic time savings - spending 18% less time driving on an average trip versus drivers without navigation. If applied over the course of a year, a driver who does not currently use a navigation device would save four days of driving each year if they had a traffic-enabled navigation system. Additionally, the findings show that drivers with real-time traffic experience reductions in distance travelled as well as increased fuel efficiency - which would lead to a decrease in CO2 emissions per driver of .79 metric tons, or 21% less than a driver without a navigation system.

The participants, who had not previously owned a navigation system, had their vehicles fitted with a logging device which was used to track the route they drove and their driving speed. The study results reflect more than 2,100 individual trips, over 20,000 kilometres and almost 500 hours on the road.

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