Study Says GPS Improves Driver Safety

By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 2/15/2007 1:19:00 PM

Concord, Mass. — TomTom said new research found that using a GPS device improved driver safety rather than impeding it.

A leading Dutch research firm, TNO, found that use of a GPS device heightened alertness, reduced the stress of the driver and reduced damage claims on a vehicle by 12 percent. The study was commissioned by TomTom as well as Athion Car Lease, Delta Lloyd (part of the Aviva Pic insurance company) and Aon.

When using a TomTom GPS, driving time is reduced by 16 percent and time spent traveling is reduced by 18 percent, the study found.

Drivers also demonstrated more than 50 percent fewer inappropriate actions such as ignoring traffic signs, because they can focus on driving rather than finding their way, the study found, according to TomTom.

The TNO research was conducted in the Netherlands over a six-month period ending in December 2006.