GPS: Don't GPS and drive!

Looks like you might have to add using your GPS to the list of things that the experts tell you not to do while driving. According to a new study, using GPS while behind the wheel is actually more distracting and less safe than unfolding a paper map and using it to find your way.

Fiddling around with in-car satellite navigation systems is causing motorists to lose concentration on the road, according to a survey on Tuesday.

The new technology, rather than helping motorists, could be even more distracting than trying to read a map at the wheel, it added.

One in 10 motorists with navigation systems set off on their journeys without bothering to programme their route, and more than half admitted they had then had to take their eyes off the road to input the details whilst driving.

Nearly one in eight did not even bother to check out a route they were unfamiliar with and simply relied on the technology to get them to their destination.

In addition, almost one in four motorists said they had read maps while driving although research suggested that this might not be quite so distracting.

The survey of almost 2,000 people by Privilege Insurance found 19 percent of drivers who used their navigation system lost concentration compared to 17 percent reading a map.

The survey said most motorists who used either resource while driving would take their eyes off the road for 10 seconds, which at 60 mph, would equate to travelling twice the length of a football pitch.

"Our research shows even satellite navigation equipment, if used incorrectly, can lead to driver danger," said Ian Parker, Privilege's managing director.

Related news: Foursprung, P4MR, GPS, Navigation

Source: Reuters

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