Live Sat Nav systems helping Christmas drivers to avoid traffic

 Sat Nav systems with live traffic data have been available for a while now, but as another heavy UK winter sets in drivers with the latest technology from the likes of Garmin, TomTom and Navigon will really start to feel the benefit.

 

With airports grinding to a halt and trains getting cancelled left, right and centre in the run up to Christmas many commuters and festive travellers often feel better off sticking with their cars, provided they’re not going to get caught up in a huge traffic jam or stranded on a blocked motorway. And that’s where live data on the latest generation Sat Nav devices comes into play.

 

As TomTom’s recent high profile advertising campaign for their TomTom High Definition Traffic service puts it, “You are not stuck in traffic you are traffic.”

 

For some people being stuck in traffic, or ‘being traffic’, is one of the most stressful situations in modern life, hence the success of devices such as the Garmin nuvi 1690, TomTom GO 740 LIVE Car Sat Nav System and the Navigon 8450 Live Sat-Nav.

Use of live Sat Nav systems usually also involves a subscription service, giving purchasers the opportunity to pay monthly or periodically for access to live traffic data.

 

Although live traffic data can be accessed via Google maps for the iPhone, for example, the standard software is not as sophisticated, alternative routes are not suggested automatically and there is no audio guidance for the driver.

 

However, if you do already own an iPhone, an alternative to buying a standalone live Sat Nav device is to opt for an app such as the TomTom for iPhone 1.3 Live, which combined with a TomTom live subscription should keep you out of trouble when you’re driving home for Christmas.