Use of navigation systems and consequences for travel behaviour

Abstract

On the European market, navigation systems gain growing importance for the support of travellers on both their everyday and special travels. So they have the possibility to contribute to the optimization of transport. This assumes that navigation systems are not just a part of the standard equipment of cars, but have to be used frequently. Therefore a broad acceptance of navigation systems has to exist. Following a scheme of acceptance which understands acceptance as a dynamic process the availability and use of navigation systems as well as the influence on travel behaviour and travellers’ references while using a navigation system are analyzed in this article. The report on a study made by DLR-Institute of Transport Research gives an insight about acceptance and current use of navigation systems. It acts about a nationwide online survey among 1.315 navigation system users, addressing particularly the questions in which situations the navigation system is utilized, by which frequency and how people use to react to the information they get. The author will present the trip purpose specific use of navigation systems, the willingness to follow recommendations and the influence of travel behaviour by navigation systems. This will be described as a precondition to deduce potential effects for the German transport system as a whole in a next step.