SatNav systems have become increasingly popular in recent years although how long that will continue is anyone’s guess as more and more SmartPhones become available with location based technology onboard that could potentially render separate SatNav systems obsolete in the not so distant future. However, that’s not the point, just how safe are SatNav devices?
Research has shown that nearly 80 percent of car accidents are caused by the driver losing concentration on the road.
According to a story in the UK’s Telegraph, an estimated 14 million drivers are using satellite navigation devices and in a survey of 2000 drivers last year, which was carried out by Insurance Company Direct Line, 20 percent of the respondents said that the systems had made them hesitate whilst driving on a busy road.
Not only that, one in fifty admitted that their SatNav device had either caused or nearly caused an accident.
Psychologists from Lancaster University and Royal Holloway, University of London are about to try and find out how safe SatNav devices are by looking at the “potentially dangerous effects of SatNav in-car navigation systems.”
How are they going to do this?
Nope, not by actually driving and using a SatNav device, that would be too realistic, but by using volunteers to carry out tasks set on a computer which will mimic instructions given by SatNav devices and then the researchers will analyse how drivers deal with information and how they respond to it.
“If we see any worsening of attention or memory performance while people are carrying out the navigation task, this might indicate that the navigation system imposes demands on the participant which could be dangerously distracting”, said Polly Dalton, one of the researchers.
“By the end of these experiments, we will be able to provide clear measurements of the ways in which the use of in-car navigation systems might interfere with attention and memory performance.”
Naturally, a spokesman for TomTom, a leader in Sat Nav devices, disagrees and reckons SatNav systems actually help.
“We have had two pieces of independent research which show that satellite navigation aids driving behaviour.
“The evidence is that people feel more in control, concentrate on the business of driving and are less stressed.”
I’m inclined to agree, but then again maybe that’s because I like to get from A to B with as little hassle as possible and I’m more than happy to use a gadget to get me there.
