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Sat-gaffs blamed for £203 Million vehicles damage in UK
publication date: Feb 18, 2012
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author/source: Robin Roberts
Wales-based insurance company Confused.com says sat-navs have caused over £203m worth of damage for drivers on
UK roads, through accidents caused by misleading directions.
With
the Department for Transport holding its first ever sat-nav Summit in
March, the issue of misleading sat-navs has become an ever-increasing
problem across the nation.
A
staggering 83% of British drivers admitted to Confused.com they were misled by their sat-navs, resulting |  | in over half the country
(52%) screaming at their devices and 68% of the drivers ended up with
longer journeys and unnecessary miles.
About 45% of British
drivers have confessed to feeling angry and frustrated while behind the
wheel, which in turn has led to 31% of British motorists red faced,
spending between £100 - £500 on navigation related car damage.
Whilst
it's mainly men who blame their car damage on their system, women are
more likely to admit that it leads them astray. Women also get more
frustrated than men, with 57% of female drivers freely admitting that
they scream at their devices, a shocking 12% higher than male drivers.
On
a national scale, drivers in the East Midlands fared the worst with
their relationship, with 57% shouting at their sat-navs and 50% feeling
frustrated behind the wheel.
|  | Northern Ireland has proved the most docile
with only 31% getting angry while 80% of Scots
claimed to be given misleading directions constantly, leading to 51% of Scottish drivers screaming at their devices.
Researchers found Aberystwyth as the worst for sat-nav anger management
with an alarming 75% admitting to regularly losing their temper. With
the amount of sat-nav accidents occurring across the country and the
pending Sat Nav legislation, Confused.com wants British motorists to
register their sat-nav blackspots around the UK on Confused.com. Gareth
Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com, (left) said, "As car insurance
costs continue to rise, it's never been more important to keep your
motoring costs as low as possible. Our research suggests
sat-nav is not always the blessing it was once hailed to be and
increasingly, motorists appear to be sighting the device as a source of
frustration and danger. We hope that our blackspot map will not only
help reduce risk, but we also hope that frustrated drivers get back
behind the wheel a little happier." |
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