London, 23 February 2012
TomTom believes better education for drivers on the benefits of vehicle tracking systems may reduce the use of GPS jammers on Britain's roads.
Its recommendation follows a government-backed study which revealed between 50 and 450 jamming incidents occur in the UK every day. These are believed to be drivers in vehicles fitted with tracking units attempting to hide their location from employers.
“Advanced fleet management and tracking systems are designed to make drivers' jobs easier, can reduce stress behind the wheel and can even increase job security” said Giles Margerison, Director UK & Ireland TomTom Business Solutions.
“This needs to be fully explained to drivers and the right fleet management provider will offer businesses support and training to help them achieve this”
“By enabling companies to slash fuel costs and boost productivity in challenging economic times, fleet management solutions can help protect salaries and mean fewer workforce redundancies. Privacy functions are also available to ensure drivers are not tracked outside of working hours”
Use of GPS jammers can cause disruption to telecommunications and power networks, as well as military systems, and a 'GNSS vulnerability' conference was held yesterday to discuss the implications of the findings.
TomTom Business Solutions systems help to reduce stress behind the wheel through an unrivalled combination of traffic and navigation, which helps drivers to avoid congestion while travelling 16 per cent fewer miles.
Updated every two minutes, HD Traffic provides live information for both major and minor roads across the country, while IQ Routes uses actual speed data from millions of users to calculate the best available route for any given time of day.
Job information and directions can be sent directly to the in-cab navigation device, while drivers can prove arrival and departure times for each job in order to handle disputes and improve their own safety.
Automatically generated mileage reports also help to dramatically reduce the volume of paperwork for drivers, eliminating the need to fill out mileage expense sheets and reducing tax liabilities.
Furthermore, by using TomTom's technology to promote greener, safer drivers, businesses can slash fuel bills by up to 20 per cent, boosting the bottom line and increasing job security for their employees.
“By involving their staff in the introduction of fleet management technology TomTom customers have been able to profit from huge cost savings” added Giles.
“Some have even introduced incentive schemes aided by the tracking devices, allowing them to reward drivers for improvements in driving style and good practice on the road”
