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December 14, 2010 Emily Fishkin: 202-721-4204 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Washington, DC - Do you have friends or family on your holiday shopping list who constantly face a tough commute? Looking for an innovative gift for your favorite driver or transit rider that won't break the budget? ITS America, the nation's largest transportation technology association, has compiled a few high-tech gift ideas that can help make 2011 a safer and more convenient travel year for everyone on your holiday list.

"People are getting creative this holiday season. These low-cost or no-cost technology gift ideas can make all the difference between sitting in gnarly traffic and enjoying a safe and worry-free commute," said Scott Belcher, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America).

While there are many innovative technology products on the market, here are a few gift ideas that caught our eye:

Since hitting the market, vehicle navigation systems have been a must-have gadget on holiday gift lists. One example, the GO 2505 TM unit from TomTom, uses a combination of real-time traffic information and the company's historical speed database, IQ Routes, to help drivers better avoid traffic congestion. Whether drivers are navigating rush hour or mid-afternoon traffic, the GO 2505 recommends the fastest route for that time of day by evaluating routes based on actual traffic speeds and real-time traffic conditions. To make 2011 a safer driving year, a number of new navigation systems including the GO 2505 help eliminate driver distraction by announcing turn-by-turn directions so your favorite motorist doesn't have to take their eyes off the road. The GO 2505 retails for $319 and is available at www.tomtom.com. iPhone users can also access TomTom's traffic information and IQ Routes by downloading the TomTom App for iPhone, available for $49.99; traffic is available via an in-App purchase. "At TomTom, we are continuously working to deliver innovative navigation solutions for our consumers," said Tom Murray, senior vice president of market development at TomTom. "Arriving just in time for the holidays, the GO Series combines new software architecture and enhanced routing to provide drivers with superior driving intelligence."

A relatively new software program, DriveSharp, is both a budget friendly and potentially life-saving gift idea for the more mature driver on your holiday list. DriveSharp is a brain training software program designed to help drivers see more, react faster, and cut crash risk by up to 50 percent. The program offers three differentbrain fitness exercises, Jewel Diver, Road Tour and Sweep Seeker . The exercisesoperate similar to video games, but are focused on improving reaction timeand peripheral vision behind the wheel. At www.DriveSharpNow.com, drivers can learn about driver safety, take a crash risk evaluation, find links to educational materialsand even try a demo.

Supportedthrough an AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Posit Science partnership, the product retails for $69 for AAA Members. "Part of making our nation's roads safer is helping mature drivers who wish to stay active - a quickly growing population - maintain or improve their driving ability," said AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety CEO Peter Kissinger. "We are very excited to be working with Posit Science to bring this unique technology to those looking to assess their driving risk and receive training to help them drive safer and longer on the road." Additional information is available at www.AAAFoundation.org .

Looking for an inexpensive yet meaningful gift for the office holiday party? For many East Coasters, an E-ZPass transponder is an innovative option that will save your co-workers money at the fuel pump while making sure they get to work on time. Electronic toll collection systems like E-ZPass, as well as SunPass in Florida, FasTrak in California, and Good To Go! in Washington State, are helping drivers nationwide avoid long lines at toll booths while reducing crashes resulting from traffic back-ups. Once the pass is purchased, drivers can sail through the booth as payment is deducted from the pre-paid account through a transponder placed inside the windshield or on the license plate. What better way to show that you appreciate your co-workers than to help them save time and money, avoid dangerous traffic conditions, and improve the planet by reducing the idling that increases auto emissions? E-ZPass transponders can be purchased at select locations or ordered online at www.ezpassonthego.com.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and need a great stocking stuffer, check out the new all-in-one transit card - Clipper - which can be used across multiple transit systems including Muni, BART, AC Transit, Caltrain and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry. For the commuter on your holiday list, a Clipper card can help them avoid highway traffic without filling up their wallet with different cards every time they switch transit lines. The $5 purchase fee is currently being waived when $2 is added to the card. Clipper cards can be purchased at www.clippercard.com.

Trying to protect your wallet this holiday season without looking like a cheapskate? Gift your friends with a new smart phone app that will help ease their post-holiday commute. Our suggestion? Borrow their phone, download the app, and demonstrate how it works without mentioning the price tag (which will be our little secret). If a free app is too much for your conscience, feel free to include some cash to cover the cost of the first round of service.

The Avego Driver Shared Transport iPhone app, available at www.avego.com, connects car owners across the U.S. with commuters traveling along the same route. The iPhone app allows drivers to fill their empty seats with people who need rides, receiving a per-mile default rate which can help offset the cost of fuel and vehicle wear and tear. The app is simple to use: it alerts drivers when a commuter sends a ride request, provides an in-route pick-up point, and keeps the rider informed with real-time passenger information (RTPI), so they know exactly when the car is due to arrive. "Avego Shared Transport is cutting-edge technology for people who want to rideshare, but without the hassle and commitment that comes with traditional carpooling," according to Avego's Managing Director Sean O'Sullivan. "Shared Transport's real-time matching and built-in payment and safety features will make it easier for people to rideshare whenever they want, from wherever they are."

The GPS-enabled NextBus website, www.nextbus.com, is making life easier for transit riders, allowing Smartphone users to access real-time arrival and departure information for public transit, shuttles, and trains at more than 90 cities and universities across the country. NextBus is free to users living in cities with transit systems that have implemented NextBus technology including San Francisco, Washington, DC, Boston, Toronto, and by March of 2011, Los Angeles. "NextBus arrivals predictions are great for the daily commuter but are also helpful when riders are in parts of a city with which they are unfamiliar," explains Lawrence Rosenshein, Vice-President of NextBus. "With the NextBus GPS website on their Smartphones, they immediately know where the nearest bus stops are in proximity order, they get the real-time arrivals predictions for the stops and they even get maps showing the bus routes and how to get to the nearest bus stop. No useless and sometimes unsafe wandering looking for a bus stop. Time is saved and riders are happy. What better gift for the holidays!"

For your family and friends in New York City, the iPhone and mobile app by Weeels (online at www.weeels.org) helps users find rides at places and times when cabs can be hard to find - think late at night, after parties, after work - or in places without public transit. By working with city cab services to deliver taxis on demand at premium, pre-negotiated rates, the app lets you both order a cab and look for others nearby who can share your ride. Just tell your phone where you're going, press a button, and let it search for others around you going in the same direction. Whether it finds a match or not, the app can dispatch a cab that will arrive in around ten minutes or less, while telling you in advance what the cost will be. "Weeels isn't just an app. It's not a game, it's not going to sell your information to anyone, and it's not going to sell you anything," explains Weeels co-founder Alex Pasternack. "It's a utility that solves an urban transportation problem: How do you get around a city when and where public transit fails? How do you connect people who are going the same way, in real time? Weeels will find you a safe and comfortable ride -- and even a ride partner -- wherever you are, whenever you need it."

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ITS America is the leading advocate for ITS technology development and deployment in the United States. ITS America was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit organization to foster the use of advanced technologies across America's surface transportation system. Members include private companies and industry leaders, government agencies at all levels, universities and research laboratories. For more information, visit www.itsa.org.