TrafficMaster gets into the (extended) zone

With the London Congestion Charging Zone spreading westwards from this week, many more drivers will be unsure where they can drive without being charged – so it’s good news that Trafficmaster’s Smartnav now features visual Congestion Charging Zone alerts, as one of a number of new features on an upgraded touchscreen.

Congestion Charging Zone alerts are now shown on the Smartnav screen by the easily recognised ‘C’ symbol, accompanied by an verbal warning telling the driver; when they approach the Congestion Charging Zone; when they entering the Congestion Charge Zone and, when they are leaving the Congestion Charge Zone. As with all other Smartnav services Congestion Zone alerts are automatically updated with the latest data by Trafficmaster’s UK control centre, to help make driving easier.

Already acknowledged for its ease of use, Smartnav’s upgraded screen will help drivers download routes quicker and provide enhanced information when on the move. The screen is the direct interface, allowing drivers to enter postcodes (when stationary), retrieve favourite or previous destinations, contact breakdown or emergency services, tailor their account details, screen settings and alerts – and of course make a handsfree call to the Smartnav control centre for assistance with destinations or routes.

The screen – the only visible element of Smartnav in the vehicle – is now also fully removable, enhancing security by leaving no temptation for thieves. Other new features include:

Quick recall of the last five destinations without typing in postcodes or calling through to the Smartnav control centre

Store of 20 ‘favourite’ most travelled to destinations
Display of the vehicle’s GPS speed in either miles per hour or kilometres per hour
Direct link to Breakdown and Emergency services
A quick ‘mute’ option which silences verbal guidance instructions
Easy route cancelling
At-a-glance subscription information with renew and upgrade options.

Trafficmaster’s development team works continually to improve the Smartnav experience for users and many of the latest enhancements have come directly from customer feedback.

The new Touchscreen is offered at no extra charge over the previous unit – £149.00 – and is installed with all new Smartnav units upon request.

The award-winning Trafficmaster Smartnav is an intelligent satellite navigation service, which uses live traffic information and real-time road speeds to calculate optimum routes and avoid traffic congestion on the way. Central to the service is 24-hour personal assistance at the touch of a button, giving drivers access to a real person to check routes and help find difficult or non-specific locations. Trafficmaster's comprehensive traffic data means Smartnav is continually updated with traffic news, road closures or maintenance and speed camera locations, without the need for CDs or internet-sourced updates. Because Smartnav uses advanced technology to communicate with Trafficmaster’s control centre, all traffic data and intelligent mapping is generated by the computing power of Trafficmaster, without the need for this to be stored in the in-vehicle system.