Is sat-nav destroying our sense of direction?

Staff writer
File photo dated 11/08/14 of a man using a satellite Navigator in his car, as motorists waste the equivalent of 29 hours every year using sat navs, according to a new study.
File photo dated 11/08/14 of a man using a satellite Navigator in his car, as motorists waste the equivalent of 29 hours every year using sat navs, according to a new study.

For most of us, gone are the days of route-planning with a mapbook and directions. Instead, 76 per cent of UK drivers use sat-navs for their car journeys – leading to speculation that British drivers as a whole are losing their knowledge of UK roads.

The research, carried out by car retailer Peter Vardy, found that 89 per cent of British drivers can't name the roads they're using – even the ones on their daily commute. This figure suggests that drivers are running on autopilot – simply setting their sat-navs and heading off, relying on technology to get them where they need to go.

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