How satnav drivers forget landmarks

THEY’LL probably get us to our destination... but sat navs mean we’ll remember far less of how we got there, say researchers.

People who used a traditional map were far more likely to recall landmarks along their route accurately than those who relied on a sat nav, a study found.

Researchers believe the devices make us pay less attention to our surroundings by removing the need for the brain to work out where we are.

A team at Liverpool Hope University asked 36 geography students to walk a 40-minute, two-mile route around the city guided by either a detailed map or a handheld sat nav. They then completed memory tests about their route.

There was no difference in their ability to remember the route itself. But those who used the map were significantly more accurate at recalling the location of landmarks they had passed such as a church.

Chartered psychologist and lead researcher Dr Dan Clark said: ‘A sat nav means people don’t need to pay attention to their environment. The sat nav updates their position and says “turn left” or “turn right”. Whereas people reading a map obviously need to know where they are so they can update their own position to know when to turn.’

The research is presented today at the British Psychological Society’s Cognitive Psychology Section conference in Newcastle.