Traffic safety effects of navigation systems

To investigate effects of navigation systems on traffic safety, a literature search, a damages database analysis, a user survey and an instrumented car study were conducted. This paper presents the instrumented car study to investigate the effects of a navigation system on driving behavior and on workload. Participants drove to an assigned destination in an area where they were unfamiliar, using either conventional navigation aids (maps, route planner prints, etc.) or a TomTom navigation system. The instrumented vehicle registered detailed information on driving behavior such as distance driven (in kilometers and duration), number of turns, number of stops, speed, acceleration, deceleration, and time headway. The results showed that the destination was reached more quickly and with fewer kilometers when driving with the navigation system than with conventional aids. The velocity on a straight road and during turning maneuvers was somewhat higher with the navigation system compared to conventional navigation aids. Furthermore, when driving with the navigation system, workload was lower and fewer instances of inappropriate driving behavior occurred. On balance, this shows that when driving to a destination in an unknown area, the navigation system had a positive effect on traffic safety.