Skip to main content

Satellite navigation 'has made drivers lazy'

A majority of UK drivers have no idea of how to read a map and are likely to find themselves hopelessly lost without their satellite navigation (satnav) system. That's the shocking finding of a UK vehicle leasing company which has found that people rely on their electronic devices so heavily that they often have no idea of the route they've taken to reach their destination. In addition, Flexed.co.uk has found that virtually everybody who has used a satellite navigation device has found themselves lost
October 30, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
A majority of UK drivers have no idea of how to read a map and are likely to find themselves hopelessly lost without their satellite navigation (satnav) system.

That's the shocking finding of a UK vehicle leasing company which has found that people rely on their electronic devices so heavily that they often have no idea of the route they've taken to reach their destination.

In addition, %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal Flexed.co.uk Visit flexed website false http://flexed.co.uk/ false false%> has found that virtually everybody who has used a satellite navigation device has found themselves lost in the last mile of a journey at some time or other because it is unable to take them to the exact spot to which they're driving.

Flexed spoke to 1,150 private and commercial drivers about their satellite navigation use, and found: seven per cent of people who use a satnav rely on it totally on a journey; 63 per cent of drivers don't bother with road signs when they're using a satnav device; 60 per cent say they can't read a paper map; 81 per cent say they probably wouldn't find an unfamiliar place again if they had used satnav to get there in the first place; 91 per cent say they've got lost in the last mile of a journey because the device has announced they've arrived ‘too early; only nine per cent said they research the route before taking an unfamiliar journey.

"It's becoming very clear that satellite navigation is making drivers lazy," says Flexed.co.uk spokesman Johnny Ratcliffe, "And it's got to the point where people arrive at their destination with no clear idea how they got there.

“In the old days it would have been a map, forward planning and using the eyes in my head.”

Flexed.co.uk urges drivers to do the same and says that people should become more familiar with the forgotten skills of map-reading.

Related Content

  • Ford commits to C-V2X from 2022 in new US cars
    January 14, 2019
    All new Ford cars will be equipped with cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X) technology in the US from 2022. In a blog post, Don Butler, executive director, Ford connected vehicle platform and product, said that the move would “help make city mobility safer and less congested”. The car maker has already committed to equipping all new vehicles released in the US with conventional cellular connectivity by the end of 2019. C-V2X will work with Ford Co-Pilot360, the company’s suite of driver-assist
  • UK Cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians need roads with them in mind
    January 12, 2018
    Cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians would prefer improvements on Highways England's (HE's) road network to be open to all types of user – but safely, with areas of greater risk identified and appropriate interventions made, according to a new report from Transport Focus (TF). The independent watchdog engaged with these road users across the UK who stressed the importance of the network in affecting their everyday lives. Key findings showed that safety is of crucial importance to all three groups when
  • ITF study: shared mobility can cut congestion and CO2 emissions
    October 12, 2017
    A new ITF mobility study in Helsinki confirms that a combination of 6-seater shared taxis and taxi buses can carry out all of today’s car journeys in the city area with just 4% of the current number of privately owned vehicles. These shared mobility platforms also mean fewer changes, less waiting and shorter travel times compared to traditional public transport. In addition, the results confirm improved access to jobs and public services, most notably for citizens in areas with few such offers.
  • AVs could have ‘huge value’ in inner cities
    June 13, 2019
    Autonomous vehicles (AVs) could have value as the mainstay of inner city transport networks in future. “It’s pure speculation, but we are likely to see more segregated road networks,” said Chris Hayhurst, European consulting manager at MathWorks. For example, level 5 (completely driverless) AVs could simply be used to pick up and drop off people in the centre of a town. “In an inner city where there are no conventional cars at all it could have huge value,” he added. Hayhurst spoke to ITS Internat