NAVTEQ, revealed insights from a esearch
study designed to assess the consumer impact of everyday use of
navigation devices. They found that real-time traffic information really saves real time.
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 that included
real-time traffic. Previous studies in this field focused more on
"getting lost" scenarios versus the benefits to drivers of navigation
system use during the course of their normal driving habits.
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 themselves 4 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 traveled as well as increase 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.
These results not only point to the positive impact on German
drivers, they can be projected to other countries as well, for example*:
UK drivers with traffic enabled navigation would save 2.5 days per year and drop their CO2 emissions by 20%
US drivers with traffic enabled navigation would save 4 days per year and lower their CO2 emissions by 21%
* Study results have been applied to country specific data
(e.g. market size; average annual miles driven) in reporting these
figures
The participants, who had not previously owned a navigation device,
had their vehicles outfitted 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, more than 20,000 kilometers
and almost 500 hours on the road.
The study was conducted by NuStats, a social science research firm
that over the past 25 years has established itself as a leader in
population surveys and qualitative research pertaining to
transportation in general, and personal mobility and transit use in
particular.
"This study continues to support the positive role that navigation
plays in improving the consumer driving experience," says John MacLeod,
executive vice president, NAVTEQ Connected Services. "In addition, the
study supports the tangible benefits of navigation on fuel savings and
environmental impact."