Is it my route, or just another way? Statistically, one in twelve people do not distinguish between red and green color. The orientation of such persons may pose a serious challenge, not just in traffic, but if you use the navigation system. NAVIGON is the first manufacturer to optimized map display in such a way that a person nierozróżniające red and green can quickly identify your route. Thus NAVIGON re-affirmed the position of a pioneer road safety in navigation systems.

Red warns drivers about the need for caution, and any delay in the reaction can be dangerous. Recognition of red signals is very important in traffic, and people nierozróżniające red and green, which is the most common form of "color blindness", in this case affected, because these colors to distinguish them is difficult or impossible. Colors are also necessary if you use the various functions of the navigation device, NAVIGON has examined why the display of information on their devices in terms of color perception disorders.

According to the survey conducted within the company, people nierozróżniające red and green were difficult to distinguish the main roads from the route of their choice, because the perceived colors as well as people suffering from color blindness.

For this purpose, we changed the color palette used to display maps, so that users do not distinguish the colors red and green immediately recognized its route

- Said Jochen Katzer, with research and development department of NAVIGON.

With modified colors in daytime and night, people nierozróżniające red and green can now clearly be distinguished from other information, a route on the map. Professor Hermann Krastel, medicine. MD, head of ophthalmology at the University of Heidelberg, sees it as a great step forward:

When choosing the color palette of the display, it is important not to use colors that could be confusing for people suffering from color blindness. With the right color and brightness ratio, we can save people suffering from this ailment confusion, or at least make it less likely. This increases traffic safety. Navigation systems are supposed to ensure motorists quick access to information without taking your eyes off the road for a long time.

Perceiving the world through different eyes

The new color palette selected by NAVIGON makes it easier for many people to move on the roads. There are a large group of people who perceive the environment and therefore on the road with different eyes, in the fullest sense.

About 8% of men and 0.4% of women suffer from congenital color blindness. - Hermann Krastel said.

These people, suffering from so-called. Deuteranopia (approximately three quarters of those nierozróżniających red and green) may determine whether the lights are green or red lights on an individual basis and not on the basis of the color signal. In the case of the so-called. protanopii , for one quarter of people nierozróżniających red and green, there is an additional complication: in addition to the difficulties or the inability to distinguish between the colors green, red and yellow, such persons must contend with the problem that the color red is for them darker. This means that, especially in case of fog, they have a problem with a certain distance, it is even possible, distinguishing between the brake lights and rear car going before them, and the other red signals, such as information about the railway crossing. Therefore, those suffering from the illness remain too little space in comparison to other cars and brake too late.

Both forms of the disorder of confusion between the colors red and green, especially protanopia, increase the risk of traffic

- Hermann Krastel said, because a person suffering from not perceive red objects in shades from beige to brown, and not in the "warning" red. For users who suffer from color blindness did not encounter any surprises on the road, use of colors by NAVIGON can not be changed. For those with "normal" perception of colors there are no consequences, because the display quality and a strong contrast remain the same.

The new color palette was used in all new systems NAVIGON, which were presented at this year's CeBIT. People using services FreshMaps, allowing for regular updates on maps in the NAVIGON devices, will benefit from better map feature visible from the second quarter of 2009, the function is also available for users of the navigation software NAVIGON MobileNavigator 7 for Windows Mobile.

Source: Press Release Navigon

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