Sat nav brands could change algorithms to divert drivers away from residential roads

27 March 2023

Sat nav brand TomTom has expressed that the industry plans to adjust algorithms to prevent disruptive ‘rat running’ in local neighbourhoods.

Rat running refers to the practice of avoiding traffic by taking shortcuts through residential roads.

TomTom Vice President Ralf-Peter Schaefer said that updating sat nav software to direct drivers to main roads rather than local ones would 'protect people in neighbourhoods from noise and emissions' and although there are no confirmed plans yet, the company is in discussion with the European Commission.

If approved, the proposed changes could be introduced in Europe and the UK by the end of 2026.

Interestingly, according to the RAC, rat running is most commonly committed during commuting hours by drivers who know an area well. Department for Transport figures also show that traffic on residential streets increased by 72 per cent between 2009 and 2019 in line with a wide-spread adoption of sat navs.

Department for Transport Chief Scientist David Metz says that sat navs slow motorway traffic and create congestion. He discovered that plans to increase capacity on the M25 and M1 failed because sat navs were redirecting drivers onto the motorway for just one or two junctions on short journeys, impacting drivers using the motorway for longer journeys.

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