I don't know about you, but I can't live without my GPS. I've had a portable united mounted on a suction cup stuck to my car's windshield for quite some time. Now that I've experienced the benefits, safety and convenience of my GPSI want to take it along with me when I'm cruising on my motorcycle.
GPS technology still amazes me.
My unit has, among other things, real-time traffic updates, 3D display, elevation readout and even a friendly female voice that says 'CAUTION' to warn me when I'm going faster than the speedlimit.
Fortunately, there are a number of businesses on the Internet that provide information, expertise and the GPS mounting gadgets necessary to attach most portable GPS brand to almost any motorcycle.
My favorite is a site called CycoActive. This company seems to carry quite a wide range of motorcycle specific GPS units and mounting hardware. And they've even got a mount gallery to help you determine the correct mount for you particular brand of motorcycle. They carry a lot of other cool stuff you cruisers out there as well as the rest of us adventure riders - so, make sure you check them out!
And while most people still associate GPS with getting there faster and not getting lost, if you read the study that follows, you see that using a GPS can also save you money as well.
NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, has revealed the results of a proprietary research study designed to assess the consumer impact of everyday use of navigation devices.
Previous studies in this field focused more on “getting lost” scenarios versus the benefits to drivers of navigation system use during the course of their normal driving habits.
In a three pronged study which evaluated drivers without a navigation system, drivers with a navigation system, and drivers with a navigation system that included traffic, the results revealed that the drivers using navigation devices1) drove shorter distances and2) spent less time driving.
Conducted in two metropolitan areas of Germany – Dusseldorf and Munich – the study also showed that drivers with navigation devices had a 12% increase in fuel efficiency, as measured by liters of fuel consumed per 100 kms.
Fuel consumption among those drivers using navigation fell from 8.3 to 7.3 l/100kms. When the study results are annualized, they equate to a nearly 2500 kilometer drop in distance driven per year per driver, and an average of €416 in savings on fuel annually per driver.
The participants, who had not previously owned a navigation device, had their vehicles outfitted with a logging device which was used to track the route they drove and their driving speed. The study results reflect more than 2,100 individual trips, more than 20,000 kilometers and almost 500 hours on the road.
The study was conducted by NuStats, a social science research firm that over the past 25 years has established itself as a leader in population surveys and qualitative research pertaining to transportation in general, and personal mobility and transit use in particular.
The findings also revealed additional areas of learning:
Reductions in trip times and distance driven increased over time:
There was a marked “learning curve” with the use of navigation devices; greater decreases in trip times and distance driven were seen in the latter half of the study.
The addition of traffic information further reduced trip times and distance driven:
The largest reductions were seen with participants using a navigation device with traffic during peak travel times (7:00 – 8:59 AM; 4:00 – 6:59 PM).
Greater reductions were seen during non-routine trips:
When traveling a route other than what was customarily traveled, the reductions in trip times and lengths were also higher.
“With the robust methodology behind this study, we have confidence that these results are representative of a trend that globally has often been implied, but not previously proven in the realm of everyday use. Consumers can enjoy the advantages of navigation not only in relation to a more positive driving experience, but also in terms of the positive impact it can have on their wallets,” says Judson Green, president and chief executive officer, NAVTEQ.
About NAVTEQ
NAVTEQ is the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data that enables navigation and location-based platforms around the world. NAVTEQ supplies comprehensive digital map information to power automotive navigation systems, portable and wireless devices, Internet-based mapping applications and government and business solutions. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 4,000 employees located in 196 offices and in 36 countries.NAVTEQ is a trademark in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved.
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