Report Says Navigation Systems Seriously Undermine Road Safety

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, January 8, 2008; Using a new research method, the Stichting Onderzoek Navigatiesystemen ("Navigation Systems Research Foundation") has discovered why navigation systems cannot find ring roads in cities. Software errors are the cause. The Foundation predicts a catastrophic development if the authorities do not intervene: more traffic accidents and casualties, and side roads becoming jammed with volumes of traffic for which they were not designed.

Almost none of the navigation systems tested take sufficient account of the hierarchy in the road network. As a result, motorists are unnecessarily being turned into 'kid killers' by being sent through designated low-traffic residential areas and roads which are not designed for through-traffic. The navigation systems do not appear to be able to find ring roads.

Software errors are the cause. TomTom blames the problem on the information supplied by the authorities, but that cannot be true, as Nav4All (a free navigation system for mobile phones) does in fact send motorists to their destinations via the appropriate roads.

A direct consequence of these software errors is that the automatic traffic jam avoidance features of TomTom and other navigation systems cause local roads to become jammed with volumes of traffic for which they were not designed and for which they are not suitable. This increases the number of traffic accidents and casualties, and disturbs the peace and the environment of residential areas.

The authorities have a responsibility to take action in good time. Systems which unnecessarily endanger road safety and the flow of traffic must be banned. At the moment, the problem is still relatively small, but in a few years time, when everyone is using navigation systems, the consequences will be incalculable.