Reports:
| Nederlands |
Navigatiesystemen levensgevaarlijk, Softwarefouten worden genegeerd Onderzoeksrapport van de Stichting Onderzoek Navigatiesystemen Research report, reportnumber: nav-001 Den Haag, 10 december 2007 |
| English |
Navigation systems seriously undermine road savety, Software errors are being ignored Research report of the Stichting Onderzoek Navigatiesystemen Research report, reportnumber: nav-001 The Hague, December 10th 2007 |
Preface
Using a novel research approach, Stichting Onderzoek Navigatiesystemen has discovered why navigators fail to identify ring roads in built-up areas. The problem is caused by flaws in the software. Stichting Onderzoek Navigatiesystemen predicts catastrophic consequences if the government does not intervene: more traffic accidents and casualties, and roads that were never intended for heavy use being congested with traffic from elsewhere.
The research approach has been developed with a view to testing whether mobile phones can navigate. The conclusion drawn from the research is that they can in principle, but not all products do.
This report spells out the findings and recommendations.
Summary
Stichting Onderzoek Navigatiesystemen has investigated whether telephone navigators really can navigate. It has found that only Nav4All offers the proper route and meets all the criteria tested.
The other 12 navigators failed almost all tests. Consumers are urged to refrain from purchasing these products, and the government is urged to ban them because their use will increase the number of traffic accident casualties.
The flawed navigators cause motorists to behave like ‘kid killers’, driving through designated low-traffic residential areas not intended for through traffic. These products fail to detect ring roads. Flaws in the software are to blame. The argument put forward by TomTom, alleging the government is at fault, is incorrect because the Nav4All product, which is distributed free of charge, has been found to meet all the criteria tested.
One effect of these flaws in the software is that the automatic re-routing function, that navigators like TomTom use, in response to approaching road congestion diverts motorists from congested roads to local roads unsuited to handling congestion-avoiding traffic. This increases the number of traffic accidents and casualties and damages the quality of life and the environment in residential areas.