TomTom Live could help cut congestion

Sat-nav maker TomTom says it's in discussions with authorities about opening up its Live database to help reduce congestion and cut journey times.

Since launching its Live system, TomTom has been logging the journeys of its customers and now has more than two trillion trips in its database, which means it is confident of the accuracy of its average speed times for any road, on any given day and time.

The Live database could therefore prove useful to authorities as they attempt to maximise existing road capacity.

TomTom's new products
TomTom says it will replace its top two models in its range before Christmas.

TomTom Via
The new mid-range Via model will come with Bluetooth and voice-command control. It gets a simplified menu system, which ensures all options for each menu section are displayed on one screen page so you don't have to scroll through multiple pages to find the function you require.

The display can also flip upside down a bit like a smartphone which means it can be fitted on either the dashboard or the window. Prices have yet to be revealed but the units with and without TomTom Live will go on sale in the final three months of the year.

TomTom Go
The new TomTom Go will be on sale later this month for around 249. It comes with new magnetic mounts for both the unit and the power cable. Route planning is now much faster, with even the most complicated journeys taking around 2.5 to three seconds to calculate.

Renaults with TomTom
TomTom says that four in 10 Renault customers that can have TomTom fitted to their car are doing so, which far outperforms traditional sat-nav take up from other manufacturers. TomTom says it is in discussions with other manufacturers about forming a similar relationship to the one it has with Renault.