Technology Can Mitigate the Growing Problem of Traffic Gridlock

As the U.S. population continues to grow, increased road congestion is a major problem that commuters and vacationers encounter. A recent survey sponsored by TeleNav found that 72 percent of drivers do not check for traffic updates prior to hitting the road, leaving themselves potentially unprepared for long commutes and dependent upon intermittent radio station updates.

Road congestion is a serious problem that isn't going away, and often gets worse around holiday travel seasons like the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. In 2003, Americans spent 3.7 billion hours in traffic, and the average commuter now loses 47 hours to gridlock every year. Additionally, according to some estimates, driving in Atlanta, Minneapolis and nine other urban areas will be worse than present-day Los Angeles by 2030. Seventy percent of the 490 poll respondents in TeleNav's survey said they have been stuck in traffic and wished there were some way to quickly find a faster, alternate route.

Currently, several technologies monitor traffic flow, but there are limited avenues to make this information available to drivers, especially when already in transit. Having a device on-hand that provides real-time and proactive rerouting could potentially reduce road rage and travel-related stress. One scientist found that the tension commuters experience when stuck in traffic is comparable to first-time parachutists.

"The benefits of providing a service to drivers that allows them to avoid travel congestion are immeasurable," said HP Jin, TeleNav president, CEO and co-founder. "With such a solution, not only can road warriors spend less time driving, but their lifestyles could also potentially be improved, both physically and mentally."

Now GPS-enabled mobile phones are bringing customers real-time solutions for their traffic headaches. TeleNav launched TeleNav Traffic in January of 2007, as part of its TeleNav GPS Navigator service, and announced a six-month free promotion of the service for TeleNav GPS Navigator users. Due to the popularity of TeleNav Traffic and the benefits provided to drivers across the country, TeleNav has decided to continue to offer TeleNav Traffic at no additional charge to users with compatible phones.

Integrated with the award-winning mobile GPS navigation service, TeleNav Traffic proactively monitors traffic along a driver's specific route, and provides ongoing, real-time alerts of upcoming congestion and incidents. If drivers would like to choose faster, alternate routes, they can do so simply by pressing a single button on their mobile device.