Are Sat Navs worth it?

New research, from car insurance company Confused.com, has revealed that Sat Navs have caused over £203m worth of damage to 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 per cent of British drivers have admitted to being misled by their Sat Navs, resulting in over half the country (52 per cent) screaming at their devices. 68 per cent of the drivers end up doing longer journeys and clock up unnecessary miles. 45 per cent of British drivers have confessed to feeling angry and frustrated while behind the wheel, which has led to 31 per cent of British motorists red faced, spending between £100 – £500 on Sat Nav related car damage.

Whilst it’s mainly men who blame their car damage on their Sat Nav, women are more likely to admit that it leads them astray. Women also get more frustrated than men, with 57 per cent of female drivers freely admitting that they scream at their Sat Navs – a full 12 per cent higher than male drivers.

On a national scale, drivers in the East Midlands fared the worst with their Sat Nav relationship – shouting at their Sat Navs (57 per cent) and feeling frustrated behind the wheel (50 per cent). Northern Ireland has proved the most docile with only 31 per cent getting angry at misleading Sat Nav directions. Over half (51 per cent) of Scotland has revealed that they scream at their Sat Navs which has resulted in an overwhelming 80 per cent of Scots admitting to being constantly given misleading directions. The research did however pinpoint the Welsh city of Aberystwyth as the worst for Sat Nav anger management, with an alarming 75 per cent admitting to regularly losing their temper.

With the amount of Sat Nav accidents occurring across the country, and the pending Sat Nav legislation, whereby Sat Nav manufacturers are to be told to update their maps more regularly, Confused.com is calling for British motorists to register their Sat Nav blackspots from around the UK on Confused.com. Visit www.confused.com/car-insurance/satnav-blackspot-map to look at the latest blackspot entries.