Although not many of today’s tech-savvy drivers would be willing to give up their in-car relationship with satellite navigation, a new study conducted by insurance company Direct Line has revealed that around 300,000 motorists in the UK have crashed their vehicles because of an over reliance on GPS assistance.
"In 50 metres, plough the Porsche into a basement apartment." Image: Terinea/Flickr.
Commissioned by British tabloid newspaper The Mirror, the automotive study also found that some 1.5 million drivers are guilty of suddenly swerving dangerously through traffic on the instruction of their satellite navigation system, while a massive five million have ignored common sense and traffic signs by driving the wrong way up one-way streets.
“Anyone buying a satnav must consider whether they can be safe on the road,” commented Katie Shephard of safety charity Brake regarding the study, which also revealed that around 10 percent of satellite navigation users have made dangerous or illegal turns after following GPS instructions.
According to The Mirror’s report, more than one in every fifty (approx. 300,000) of the 14 million UK drivers using in-car assistance admitted that their satellite navigation unit has issued instructions that have either caused or nearly caused a road traffic accident.
Other troubling stats returned by the study revealed that more than one third of its 2,000 respondents were left confused behind the wheel after attempting to follow their satnav’s directions.
Around a quarter of polled users complained that they had been unwittingly dispatched down prohibited roads, while a fifth said their navigation systems were unreliable to the point of actually delivering them to the wrong destination.
The study concludes with some pointers that satnav users should bear in mind when incorporating GPS assistance into their journeys. They include pearls of wisdom such as fully loading journeys prior to departure, placing the satnav screen in clear sight that doesn’t interfere with road view, exercising common sense despite what the system should recommend or instruct, and to always check journey routes on a map too.
In terms of purchasing a trustworthy satellite navigation system, consumers are advised to check the latest safety research and only invest in recognised technology produced by recommended manufacturers.
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