How our dodgy satnavs cost us 29 hours a year

MOTORISTS waste an average of 29 hours every year following bad satnav directions, according to a study.

And one in four admit that reliance on the devices means they are losing the ability to navigate for themselves or read a map.

Satnavs, which are used by 76 per cent of drivers, have long been derided by critics for sending people the ‘wrong way or the long way’.

In a study of 2,000 drivers about their reliance on the dashboard gadgets, most motorists also confessed to being ‘zoned out’ when using a satnav, switching off their concentration entirely.

More than a quarter have become so reliant on them that they now use a satnav on routes they have previously driven without needing assistance.

And 26 per cent admit their navigation skills have declined since they began using an electronic route planner.

One in five motorists confessed to losing the ability to navigate back home from locations which they used their satnav to find.

The average radius drivers said they could navigate from their homes without satnav assistance was 36 miles – but 10 per cent say they get lost after just seven miles.

Motorists have also been directed by satnavs into fields, while lorries have been stuck after being sent down narrow lanes.

The report says Britons see their satnavs as a mixed blessing, with more than two thirds saying they had a ‘love-hate relationship’ with them.

Poor directions are a major irritation, and satnav slip-ups have led to nearly a third of drivers admitting to shouting at their machine as if it was a real person. One in ten of those surveyed said that the devices do not always plot the fastest or shortest route, and 27 per cent cite confusing directions as the most annoying thing.

The report says: ‘Satnavs, once hailed as the high-tech saviour for drivers with a poor sense of direction the world over, have turned us into a nation of unthinking, unquestioning “zombie” drivers.

‘We are becoming less street smart as we spend over a whole day each year – 29 hours – cluelessly travelling either the long way or the wrong way to our destinations after relying on electronic guides.’

The study was commissioned by black cab- hailing app mytaxi. Andy Jones, the firm’s general manager said: ‘Satnav technology is undoubtedly a huge help to many people, but it is certainly not flawless.’

AA president Edmund King said: ‘When satnavs go wrong people can get really stuck. They get lost.

‘There’s a risk of becoming over-dependent on satnavs. It tells you to turn left or turn right at a junction.

‘But when you follow signs, you have to be mentally, physically and psychologically alert.’

He added: ‘Map reading is a basic skill that can get you out of a lot of trouble yet too few people now have mastered it.’