Filed under: Etc.
Wanna save gas? Don't get lost driving to the right town in the wrong county
Most people know there's an Athens, Greece and an Athens, Georgia. But did you know there are 22 towns named Sutton in the UK? There are plenty more examples of towns with the same name in different parts of the county, and Trafficmaster, a group that works on increasing "intelligent driving" skills, says that all these homograph towns (and other driving difficulties) lead to 10,000 calls a day from people asking for directions. Trafficmaster's take is that these wasted miles cost the drivers (and occupants) time, but there's a lot of gas used to go nowhere when you're on the right road to the wrong Sutton.
For example, Geraldine Fergie, head of customer service at Trafficmaster, said in a press release that, "In many cases, drivers set off without any directions or route plan, which often leads them down the wrong road and wastes time. For drivers on business, that can mean missed meetings or lost money too. By taking further details or asking simple questions, we're always able to help get drivers to their destination." That's as true as anything, but really intelligent driving means watching your MPGs as you watch where you're going.
[Source: Trafficmaster]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eric 6:41PM (8/07/2007)
There's a Cook Road in two neighbouring towns here. They happen to be the two towns that form one school district, too, so there's been quite a few lost pizzas and party-goers on the wrong road. They're only about four miles apart.
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Cidny 7:00PM (8/07/2007)
Los Angeles is horrible for keeping track of streets.. every "city" - Santa Monica, Culver, Downtown - has its own numbered streets, and there are tons of random inturuptions.. sixth, seventh, eighth, olympic, ninth, figueroa, eleventh... definitely LOTS of wrong turns and loops
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