Half of drivers now rely on Sat Nav to navigate rather than map reading skills

Almost half of drivers now rely on a Sat Nav when driving somewhere new rather than using map reading skills.

Car finance experts at Zuto conducted the research to uncover the nation's habits when it comes to directions and reliance on Sat Navs.

With 92% of those surveyed admitting to using a Sat Nav on some occasion when driving, it’s clear that we’ve put our map reading skills to one side.

Male drivers rely on Sat Navs more than female drivers

Research found that male drivers are more reliant on the technology than women, as one in seven (13%) of male drivers use a sat nav every time they drive, in comparison to only one in twelve of female drivers (8%).

However, when driving to a new destination, one in three female drivers feel nervous, in comparison to just one in ten male drivers in the same situation.

When asked what the most important feature in a car is, two fifths of both male and female drivers deem having an installed satnav an important feature when purchasing a new car. Showcasing just how important this technology is in our modern-day life.

Drivers in older age groups are less likely to use a Sat Nav

Research has found that the age group least likely to ever use a Sat Nav is those aged 55-64, with 20% of drivers claiming they never use one. This is in comparison to the 25-34 age group where just shy of a quarter claim that they use a Sat Nav every time they drive.

How drivers reacted under pressure

When travelling to new locations, the research uncovered that almost one fifth of Brits feel some level of nerves, which could be a reason why 93% of us either have a satnav installed in our car already, or turn to our phone before making a journey.

Lucy Sherliker, Head of Customer at Zuto, said: “The modern-day society which we live in is becoming increasingly technologically advanced. Because of this, we wanted to research how reliant drivers are on Sat Nav technology and what difference the use of them makes in how drivers feel about travelling to a new destination.

“Whilst looking at various variables such as age and gender and our physical experiment, we have highlighted just how reliant we are as a nation on Sat Navs.”

To find out more information about the research, visit here: https://www.zuto.com/blog/sat-nav-dependency/