European drivers at risk from preventable “sudden jam” accidents

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS: An independent study of more than 8,000 drivers surveyed across Europe, revealed that people are putting themselves at risk from traffic jam related accidents. On average, 35 percent of respondents admitted to being involved in an accident when unable to brake in time to avoid sudden, stationary traffic.

While 64 percent of European drivers claimed to know the stopping distances needed to avoid accidents, only 28 percent of drivers actually knew how far in advance they needed to brake at 60 mph (100km/h) in their respective countries. The vast majority of respondents drastically underestimated the required stopping distances, thereby putting themselves and others drivers at risk.

"This new research reveals a serious issue that we can now address with our traffic technology," said Corinne Vigreux, MD, TomTom Consumer. "TomTom Traffic has become so accurate that we can now pinpoint the precise location of a traffic jam. We have developed a new "Jam Ahead Warning" that shows drivers exactly where a jam starts and crucially alerts them to slow down if they are travelling too fast."

TomTom recently launched a new range of navigation devices featuring lifetime TomTom Traffic. The new TomTom GO 400, GO 500, 5000 and GO 600, 6000 all feature the unique "Jam Ahead Warning" feature.