‘Sat navs drive us around the bend’

MOTORISTS WASTE the equivalent of 29 hours every year using sat navs, according to a new study.

The time is lost when the devices send drivers either the long way or wrong way to their destinations, the report commissioned by black cab app mytaxi found.

The figure is based on analysis of the proportion of journeys delayed by sat nav misdirection and the average length of the holdups.

A poll of 2,000 drivers revealed that 27 per cent cite confusing directions as the most annoying aspect of sat navs. Almost half (47 per cent) of those surveyed have had a “verbal disagreement” with their device, while 31 per cent admit to shouting at it “as if it were a real person”.

The majority (52 per cent) of respondents admit they “switch off” and pay little attention to road signs and landmarks once a sat nav is leading the way.

Mytaxi general manager Andy Jones said: “Sat nav technology is undoubtedly a huge help to many people, but it is certainly not flawless. The results can be both frustrating and comical, as evidenced by the huge number of misadventures we have recorded.”

Councils claim lorry drivers should be banned from using sat navs designed for cars after a spate of heavy goods vehicles causing chaos on routes where they exceeded the weight or height limit.

The Local Government Association, representing councils in England and Wales, wants legislation brought in to make it compulsory for lorry drivers who use sat navs to use commercial devices which include information on bridge heights and narrow roads.