A recent study by Manheim Auctions has shown that many of us in the UK are guilty of ‘route racing’. If you’re not familiar with the term, it is when a driver of a vehicle decides to attempt to ‘beat’ the time to destination given on the sat nav in the vehicle – either by speeding or finding an alternative route and out think the sat nav.
Alternatively, ‘Going Dark’ involves deliberately taking an alternative route to avoid roadworks, congestion or other hazards to see how long it takes sat-nav to recalculate the route.
“For motorists who use sat-nav purely as a guide and who already know how to get to their destination, game playing is something to pass the time. ‘Route Racing’ by trying to out-think the device rather than simply following the automated voice just goes to prove that no matter how good technology is today, it’s no substitute for local road knowledge,” commented Craig Mailey, Client Services & Marketing Director, Manheim Auctions.
“‘Route Racing’ represents the triumph of man over machine and a quicker, safer journey,” says AA Head of Road Safety Andrew Howard.
The findings follow recent research by Manheim Auctions, the world’s largest vehicle auction company, which revealed only one in eight motorists trust their sat-nav to take them directly to their destination. Over a third of Brits have got completely lost whilst relying on their navigation system, with 15% missing an important event such as a job interview, wedding or first date.
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