First there was the map. Then the radio, then the mobile phone. But the new cause of motor car accidents is fiddling around with the in-car satellite navigation system. Or so suggests a UK survey reported Tuesday by Reuters.
The new technology, rather than helping motorists, could be even more distracting than trying to read a map at the wheel, says the survey. One in ten motorists with navigation systems set off on their journeys without bothering to program their route, and more than half admitted they had then had to take their eyes off the road to input the details whilst driving.
Nearly one in eight did not even bother to check out a route they were unfamiliar with and simply relied on the technology to get them to their destination.
In addition, almost one in four motorists said they had read maps while driving although research suggested that this might not be quite so distracting.
The survey of almost 2,000 people by Privilege Insurance found 19 per cent of drivers who used their navigation system lost concentration compared to 17 percent reading a map.
The survey said most motorists who used either resource while driving would take their eyes off the road for 10 seconds, which at 60 mph, would equate to travelling twice the length of a football pitch.
“Our research shows even satellite navigation equipment, if used incorrectly, can lead to driver danger,” said Ian Parker, Privilege’s managing director.