directions Archives

Filed under: Technology, UK

Satellite Navigation System

The voice of the navigation system tells you to turn right, but you are absolutely positive that it’s a better idea to go straight for two more streets and then turn left. Do you listen to the sat-nav, or your gut? If you’re a man, you’re more likely to stick to your guns, at least according to a study by UK insurance retailer Swinton.

The study, which polled 3,000 users about their navigation habits, discovered that 83 percent of men have disobeyed their nav system at least once, compared to under 75 percent for women. The study also showed that one-third of all participants surveyed felt their navigation system took them between one and five kilometers astray, while half say the system’s directions led to an in-car argument with a passenger.

Steve Chelton, Insurance Development Manager at Swinton, points out that, “a sat-nav should aid your own navigational abilities rather than replace them.” That’s a good point to be sure, but what should a driver do to make sure their nav isn’t giving them the high-tech shaft? Two-thirds of the drivers in the study keep an old-fashioned paper map in the car just in case.

[Source: National Post | Image: Chris Shunk/AOL]

Study: Men more likely to overrule GPS than women, still won’t stop for directions originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., UK

That long-running joke about men unwilling to stop for directions? Well, it’s no joke, at least not according to British insurance firm Sheilas’ Wheels. In fact, the average male motorist in Britain travels some 276 extra miles per year simply because he refuses to ask for directions. Worse yet, that amounts to £2,000 ($3,100) worth of wasted fuel over the stubborn man’s lifetime.

In the UK, 25 percent of all men would rather wander aimlessly for up to a half hour before stopping to ask for directions, and one in 10 simply refuse to ask altogether. On the flip side, three quarters of women polled have zero qualms about asking for help. And here’s our favorite stat: 41 percent of men admitted to telling their passengers that they knew where they were going… even though they didn’t.

Though the study took place in the UK, we’d bet that, if anything, it’s worse here in the States. After all, as a much larger country with sometimes huge stretches between destinations, we probably waste more time and fuel pretending like we know exactly where we’re going.

[Source: Telegraph | Image: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images]

Study: Average male drives extra 276 miles/year because he won’t stop for directions originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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