General News UK
Swinton: Van Drivers Warned of Sat Nav Dangers
Apr 19, 2010 13:42 CEST
Swinton Commercial is warning van drivers to be wary of the potentially dangerous effects of satellite navigation systems.
It's estimated around 14 million UK drivers now rely on sat navs. In 2009, satellite navigation systems were blamed for causing around 300,000 crashes in Britain, while a further 1.5 million admitted performing sudden direction changes because they were following the devices' directions.
A survey of 1,200 van drivers carried out by the van insurance retailer revealed one in five had hesitated while on the road as a result of an instruction from their Sat Nav with one in sixty also admitting their Sat Nav had either caused or nearly caused an accident while driving.
Phil Moss, Commercial Vehicle Manager at Swinton said, "We're seeing more van drivers making van insurance claims for damage to their vehicles after following their Sat Navs down unsuitable roads. We urge all commercial vehicle owners to use their common sense when approaching a potentially impassable road.
"The biggest problem for drivers of larger vans and lorries is that sat navs don't always show low lying bridges."
"Sat navs can be incredibly useful but it's vital that van drivers exercise caution when listening to instructions and ensure they are stationary when typing in details of their destination."