Guidelines for safe and effective vehicle routing

Driver information systems have the capability to improve the operation of traffic on roads when well designed. Conversely, poorly designed systems may distract drivers or provide inappropriate assistance resulting in a deterioration in travelling conditions, potentially both in terms of safety and efficiency. The Department for Transport commissioned TRL to develop guidelines for the development and assessment of efficient routing within Dynamic Route Guidance (DRG) systems. In-vehicle route guidance systems calculate a route between the origin and desired destination and provide turn-by-turn directions to the driver. Dynamic Route Guidance systems are those guidance systems that can re-optimise a route in response to information about adverse traffic conditions whilst the vehicle is being driven along the route. This report presents the guidelines developed in that project. The principle target audience for this document is the Product Responsible Organisation, that is, the entity with authority to establish a new, or change an existing, product specification. This responsibility includes testing and verification of design performance for the DRG product and also includes compliance with all applicable regulations.