Posted on 08/28/2009 7:02:27 AM PDT by wrrock
A recent study suggests that drivers that have real time traffic loaded on their GPS systems spend 4 days less on congested highways. The study also noted that C02 emissions from the traffic-enabled drivers decreased 21%. Traffic-enabled navigation retails for $250.00 to $350.00. By comparison, the expensive ‘cash for clunkers’ program cost up to $4,5000 per driver and if you assume the driver keeps the same driving habits with the new car, cuts CO2 emissions per driver 25%. (However, some suggest that most drivers will drive a new car more).
(Excerpt) Read more at cardealerreviews.org ...
ahh. I see an angle whereby the use of GPS can be mandated. To save the earth (and know where you are and where you’ve been, just in case)!
Some of the west side kids in Chicago have told me that the GPS or sat-nav systems also improve the nightly “take” of thieves, which is used to score drugs. Too many morons in the Chicago area leave them visible for any thief to take. Hiding them is no help either; the kids say that the thieves (could they be talking about themselves?) often look for the suction cup marks on the windshields.
Personally, I use that old-fashioned GPS system called “a map.” If I’m really in trouble, I’ll turn on my iPhone but I seldom need the phone unless I’m lost in a new suburban subdivision.
It’s a load of crap. Hubby’s “Bitchin’ Betty” always wanted him to take heavily congested roads even when he had the “real time traffic” garbage on there. He dropped it as it didn’t help.
It’s also illegal in NJ to have them on your windshield.
The quality of near real-time traffic data isn't very good yet. But good data is available: using cell phone tower check-ins to track traffic flow very accurately. I'm surprised no cell phone companies exploit that as a sellable product. Currently the data goes to waste.
I love my GPS. It’s generally useful and doesn’t nag too much. If it could hold me, I would marry it.
No, no, no, this won’t do. Saving energy and emissions via more efficient traffic patterns is not acceptable.
A) There is no cut in it for the government, and
B) There is no opportunity in it for further control of the ciitzenry by the government.
pork for GPS.
MORE FREE STUFFFFFFF
remember how those $40 dollar coupons RAISED the price of all those digital recievers?
I use ATT Navigator on my iPhone and it is awesome. Gives me realtime map updates and live traffic/construction updates. It has rerouted me around traffic jams a couple times now, saving me a lot of time and headaches.
ATT Navigator on the iPhone.
LOOKING AT A MAP MAY BE MORE DANGEROUS THAN DRUNK DRIVING!
Yeah, I would like that if it worked for me. My main complaint is the following: There is lots of traffic data for the main highways available on the internet, but what about the NOT so main highways? I can take a kind of back-door freeway into the city from very near my house, but on some days it has a very bad traffic backup where it meets the major freeway. Other days it’s fine. The major freeway has cameras and traffic reporting instruments all over it, but 90 has nothing, so I’m blind.
If this thing could help my commute, I’d probably buy it.
Remember the local governments want to tax per mile too because electric cars pay NO gas tax (what about the power plants?) and hybrids pay LESS gas tax.
After doing some research on that I think they are buying their traffic data from INRIX, which collects data from "800,000 trucks, delivery vans and other fleet vehicles equipped with GPS satellite locator devices", and also they are now getting iPhone user "anonymous GPS probe" data: Free App Uses Crowd-Sourced Information to Display Accurate Real-Time If you have an iPhone (I don't) you can use their free INRIX TRAFFIC! software app. If you try it please let me know your opinion of it. I might buy an iPhone just for that.
I will have to check that out. I don’t need the turn by turn from Navigator all the time, and the INRIX TRAFFIC! would be perfect for those times. I will let you know how it does.
The Google Android OS has a free app in the Market called US Traffic that appears to have the same functions from the description. I just found it and will be downloading it and trying it. I have used a number of apps from the same developer, and they are excellent, so I am optimistic.
I have a G1, the first Android OS phone (see my FR homepage), but now there are many Android OS (Linux based) phones coming out on multiple carriers. Verizon has a flagship Android phone called the Sholes coming out in Sept/Oct. Sprint has the HTC Hero (already out in Europe) coming out soon, and there are other Android OS phones coming out.
Android looks interesting. Many new cell phone based devices could use this OS: car GPS burglar alarms with motion detection video capture, wall mounted photo frames that automatically download a new photo every day, all kinds of free ranging robots. It could be very useful for police, security, and spy work but also a cat burglar could use a long distance cell phone video feed to guide a robot to pilfer for them.
Generally, I consult the map before even leaving the house.
If congestion avoidance would allow paeons to get around better, it would defeat the whole purpose of CFC.
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