By John Simpson 10 August 2012
One in five van drivers prefer to rely on their own navigation intuition than use a sat nav, according to a new survey which questions the reliability of the devices.
A third of the 1,000 van drivers that took part in high street insurance retailer Swinton’s poll said they have been taken to the wrong destination by their mischievous, or more likely, incompetent sat nav.
Over two fifths of van drivers regarded their own navigational skills as 'excellent' but almost half keep a map handy “just in case”.
One in ten respondents claim they have never used a sat nav at all, ever, in their whole life.
Waste of fuel, waste of money
When asked to explain why they shun GPS devices, some were concerned it could make a driver late for a job and waste petrol and money by giving inaccurate directions.
Phil Moss, Commercial Vehicle Manager at Swinton Van Insurance, appreciated that many drivers still trusted their own navigational instinct rather than blindly obeying and conforming to technology.
He said: “The impact on a business should a sat nav go wrong, can manifest itself in a number of ways - damaging customer relations as well as having financial implications should it interfere with trading.
"Whilst many people use sat navs, some simply trust their own skills more - perhaps having been brought up in the area or knowing short-cuts that their device may not be programmed for.
“It is also important to remember to update your sat nav regularly, ensuring that any new roads, speed cameras or closures are included."
A similar survey from the start of the year found that a fifth of motorists would rather turn to their smartphone for directions rather than their sat nav while a third admitted they never use their sat nav anymore.
In March 2012, local transport minister Norman Baker led the Government’s first ever sat nav summit in a bid to wipe out outdated directions given by sat-nav devices after frequent incidents of lorries and other large vehicles taking unsuitable routes and getting stuck.
Categories: Fleet news
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