GPS With Real-Time Info Can Save Four Days Of Driving A Year
Four days a year and 21 per cent less CO2 emissions. That’s what a GPS with real-time traffic information will give to you, and the entire planet. At least, that’s what maps maker Navteq says. As you can expect, there’s a catch.
The study—conducted in Dusseldorf and Munich, in Germany—had three groups: One with GPS without real-time traffic, another with GPS units with real-time traffic information, and a third one—the control group—without any GPS.
The results were clear, according to them: Drivers with real time-traffic information will spend 18 per cent less time going to places. That’s four days a year, which—if you ask me—is quite a lot. The study also found that these drives traveled shorter distances and times, which decreased yearly CO2 emissions an average of .79 metric tons. This resulted in 21 per cent less carbon dioxide.
So what’s the catch: Those percentages are compared to drivers “without navigation.” Their press release fail to provide information on GPS without real-time traffic information systems. Highly suspicious, if you ask me. [Autoblog]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Big obvious problem here. Once this technology becomes omnipresent, we'll have to hope they build in some sort of load balancing algorithm, otherwise everyone will just pile down that detour causing the same problem it was meant to avoid!
franoreilly
@daqman: Number 3 really hits the nail on the head. I've been using traffic since my first tomtom YEARS ago, and have yet to find it helpful
nbolmer
I tried out a GPS once then realized three things pretty quickly:
1) On 99.9% of journeys I already know where I'm going.
2) Since I travel between a fixed number of places each day I know the road conditions, like roadworks and busy times, better than the GPS. For example the GPS wanted me to go down a street that I knew was a mess due to roadworks that had been in place for a year.
3) Real time traffic conditions don't help if there are a limited number of options. For example if the interstate is blocked everybody piles onto the city streets so you're doomed anyway.
daqman
Why the BTTF image? This isn't news on a Skyway (the only relevant link with the Skyway info board in BTTF 2).
I doubt that this takes into consideration that if everybody had real-time GPS, then all the shortcuts/low-traffic routes would become clogged by swarms of cars trying to use them.
@trs: Oooh. Good point. Stay where you are Joey Joe Joe Junior! It won't work on land!
@92BuickLeSabre: Unless he's driving in a boat, in which case I'd stick to the river if I were him.
trs
@Brett Benedict: For this groups average ~1.2 hours of commuting a day 20 days a year saved would be no commuting at all, so yes, 20 days a year saved would equal 0 CO2 emissions *from commuting*.
My secret tip is to listen to new music while you drive. That way if you're late, at least you got some of that gigantic illegal music stockpile chipped at. You know... until you get home and fill it with an extra 8 more gigs...
Wasn't there another study that showed people who do the alternate route business actually end up making traffic jams worse?
QuincyRodent
What about when there is no traffic where we live? Does that mean we'll get 369 days in a year with GPS?
trs
@Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo: Perhaps you could rectify that by not driving in the Anacostia River. Also a good tip on the "time-saving" front.
I won't save any time when the GPS says I'm driving in the Anacostia River like it did this morning.
So 20 days a year would equal 0 CO2 emissions?
Brett Benedict