Map provider Navteq has revealed the results of a proprietary research study designed to assess the consumer impact of everyday use of navigation devices. Results revealed that the drivers using navigation devices drove shorter distances and spent less time driving.

The three-pronged study evaluated drivers without navigation systems, drivers with navigation systems, and drivers with navigation systems that included traffic.

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.

Conducted in two metropolitan areas of Germany — Dusseldorf and Munich — the study also showed that drivers with navigation devices had a 12 percent increase in fuel efficiency, as measured by liters of fuel consumed per 100 kilometers. Fuel consumption among those drivers using navigation fell from 8.3 to 7.3 l /100 kilometers. When the study results are annualized, they equate to a nearly 2,500-kilometer drop in distance driven per year per driver, and an average savings of 416 euros annually on fuel per driver.

The participants, who had not previously owned navigation devices, had their vehicles outfitted with a logging device 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 findings also revealed:

• 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 (7-8: 59 a .m. and 4-6:59 p.m.).
• 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," said Judson Green, president and chief executive officer, NAVTEQ. "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."

The study was conducted by NuStats, a social science research firm.