Australian drivers can now safely monitor their driving speed on an additional 78,000 kilometres of road, largely in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, thanks to the release of updated Whereis® mapping technology 15.1.

The upgraded speed information, now available on 126,426 kilometers of road across the country, will help drivers avoid traffic violations, fines and loss of license points as well as increasing driver, passenger and pedestrian safety.

Fred Curtis, Commercial Manager of Whereis® said, “accurate speed limit information provided by updated Whereis® mapping technology will help improve safety on Australian roads.”

"Whereis® is an Australian company and we’re dedicated to bringing the most up-to-date and sophisticated local mapping technology to GPS users and drivers," said Mr Curtis.

"Speeding is a major threat on Australian roads which causes too many unnecessary accidents and loss of life each year. It’s imperative we continue to provide Australians with the best information possible when planning and embarking on travelling by road.

"Being able to easily access current speed limit information is important to drivers, even when driving on familiar roads as people tend to be less attentive," continued Mr Curtis.

Consumer research conducted by Whereis® demonstrates most GPS users only use their devices for unfamiliar routes or non-routine driving. Speed limit information adds a second motivation for consumers to purchase a GPS unit and increases the value the consumer gains from their purchase.

As well as servicing major interconnecting roads and highways nationally, Whereis 15.1 also boasts a significant upgrade to the rural road systems in both New South Wales and Queensland. This road geometry has been captured with advanced military grade capture technology making it the most accurate and current rural road network in Australia.

Drivers in New South Wales are now able to check an additional 736 road sign posts in rural areas as Whereis® continues to upgrade road signs nationally.

Upgrades also include:

• National network of speed and red light cameras
• Introduction of Two and Three-dimensional landmarks nationally
• Full Lane Guidance provided on major roads in Australian capital cities.

Whereis® now provides phonetic data that enables devices to provide Text To Speech (TTS) capabilities that pronounce Aboriginal, Maori and other colloquially pronounced street names and places correctly; and Advanced Speech Recognition (ASR) means that the unit can recognise street and place names as spoken by the driver.

About Sensis

Sensis is Telstra's advertising business and Australia's leading directories information resource, helping Australians find, buy and sell. Sensis delivers innovative and integrated local search and digital marketing solutions via print, online, voice and mobile channels to connect Australians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sensis' powerful, multi-channel portfolio provides an unparalleled local information source incorporating the White Pages® and Yellow Pages® directories; the MediaSmart digital advertising business; the Whereis® digital mapping business; the Citysearch® entertainment and lifestyle website; the sensis.com.au search engine; the 1234 operator-assisted, premium voice information service; and the accommodation website gostay.com.au. Sensis is also a partner in some of China's most popular websites including real estate and home furnishings website, SouFun.com; auto websites Autohome.com and Che168.com; and digital devices websites IT168.com and PCPop.com.cn.