~TomTom’s traffic navigation system offers an immediate solution to help tackle traffic congestion ~
Amsterdam, 30 September 2010 – TomTom today publishes its Traffic Manifesto outlining how TomTom drivers hold the key to reducing traffic congestion for themselves and every driver around them. 10% of people driving with TomTom’s HD Traffic™ system will create a real-time “collective effect”, making roads flow more efficiently and reducing journey times for all.

With congestion affecting millions of people every day and having serious effects on drivers’ health, businesses, society and the environment, TomTom has an immediate and cost-effective solution to help tackle traffic congestion.

“For many drivers, traffic congestion has become inevitable”, says Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s CEO. “We think it’s time to challenge conventional thinking with a working solution to reduce traffic congestion right now on a very large scale.”

TomTom has invested years in developing the very best traffic navigation system. Today TomTom can reduce journey times for individual drivers by up to 15%. TomTom drivers are connected online, so when a faster route becomes available, they are first to know. As a result, journey times can reduce for all drivers by up to 5% when 10% of the world’s drivers use TomTom’s HD Traffic™ navigation system in a portable navigation device, smartphone or via an in-dash solution.

TomTom’s HD Traffic™ navigation system combines the world’s most accurate traffic information with dynamic route guidance technology. HD Traffic™ information is the most accurate in the world. It covers more road kilometres on both secondary and main roads. It reports traffic jams with higher accuracy and also refreshes more frequently than any other service. Drivers can also use TomTom’s HD Traffic™ information online to plan their journey around a time when their route is less busy and in doing so will further reduce congestion.

TomTom outlines its mission - to reduce traffic congestion for everyone - as part of its Traffic Manifesto. The Manifesto outlines four key action areas, designed to accelerate mass adoption of intelligent route guidance systems. TomTom will continue to work with individuals, businesses, organisations and governments to see the full scope of its plans become a reality. The four commitments outlined in the Manifesto are:

We will encourage and inspire people to play a role in reducing traffic congestion.
We will increase the availability of TomTom HD Traffic™.
We will lead the continuous improvement of traffic and route guidance technology.
We will bring together key traffic stakeholders to share ideas and drive actions forward.
“We know that traffic congestion is not going to disappear completely, but we can do something significant to reduce it today,” says Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s CEO. “We’re embarking on this mission because we love driving and hate traffic, and know that millions of drivers around the world feel this way too. We genuinely believe that TomTom has a role to play in helping to reduce traffic congestion in countries all over the world.”

For more information you can access www.tomtom.com/manifesto

AND Next generation traffic technology puts TomTom drivers in the fast lane
~ New HD Traffic™ 4.0 delivers unprecedented traffic navigation accuracy~


Amsterdam, 30 September 2010 – TomTom today releases its next generation traffic system across Europe, becoming the first company to use historic, real-time and predictive traffic data to deliver the most accurate traffic navigation available. HD Traffic™ 4.0 covers more of the road network and reports traffic jams with more accuracy, giving drivers the most precise traffic information in Europe. Existing HD Traffic™ customers will experience the benefits immediately, without the need for any software upgrade.

TomTom’s real-time and predictive traffic technology now detects traffic jams that other services are unable to. HD Traffic™ 4.0 reports traffic jams with higher accuracy, reporting up to 200% more traffic jams during rush hours than previously, in particular on urban roads. Combined with the fastest routing engine available, HD Traffic™ 4.0 gets drivers through traffic faster.

The more people that drive with TomTom HD Traffic™, the more accurate the traffic information becomes. Today, with over one million connected drivers using HD Traffic™ across Europe, TomTom’s traffic information is able to adapt to changing traffic situations and guide drivers though traffic with more precision than ever.

Ralf-Peter Schäfer, Traffic Director, TomTom, said: “Our TomTom traffic information is now the best in Europe. We are seeing unprecedented levels of jam accuracy on highways and secondary roads including major urban roads. The bottom line is our traffic information is now at a level where HD Traffic™ users already can reduce their journey time on average by 15%.”

The roll out of HD Traffic™ 4.0 underpins the launch of TomTom’s Traffic Manifesto. The Manifesto outlines how a minority of drivers using HD Traffic™ could reduce traffic congestion for all drivers by making better use of the existing road network.

“New TomTom GO LIVE 1000 navigation devices combine HD Traffic™ 4.0 with speedier route calculation to get drivers through traffic jams faster than ever,” continued Ralf-Peter Schäfer, TomTom. “HD Traffic™ 4.0 is a key milestone for all our customers. We are committed to the research and development of innovative solutions to help reduce traffic congestion for our customers in the future.”
- END –