Traffic Enabled GPS Could Cut 4 days Off Your Annual Commute
Want to trim enough time off your commute to get back four days of your life every year? Well, that statistic is provided courtesy of GPS-data provider NAVTEQ, which says that drivers who use a GPS device that incorporates real-time traffic updates can shave immense amounts off their drive time every year. In the US, 4 days worth of driving per year; in the UK, a mere 2 1/2 days. Either way, that represents about an 18 percent reduction in the amount of time spent behind the wheel, a phenomenal savings.
There’s even a green angle: In both countries, NAVTEQ says drivers using traffic-ready GPS units can reduce their carbon emissions by about 20 percent.
The study was performed in Germany and included drivers with no GPS, with a standard GPS unit, and with a traffic-enabled GPS unit. Ultimately it found that the drivers using the traffic-enabled GPS were able to far more effectively route around backups. They traveled a shorter overall distance than drivers without a navigation system. The study also revealed that the drivers using traffic enabled GPS 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.
Assuming the figures are very rough estimates, it might make sense to think about upgrading your GPS to one that includes traffic reports. And in fact, GPS systems with traffic updates are commonplace now. A traffic-ready model like the Garmin nuvi 265WT can be had for a little less than $200. But remember that, for most GPS models, you have to pay extra for traffic updates to be delivered to the device after an initial trial period. In the case of the Garmin mentioned, a 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the GPS receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription.