Four in 10 'can't read maps'

ALMOST four in 10 drivers don't know how to read a traditional map, according to new research by sat-nav manufacturer Garmin.

A study of 2,000 Brits revealed that 39% admit to not knowing what they're doing with old-fashioned navigation, but the true figure could well be higher than that when taking into account those who believe they can read a map but have either never tried or never proved it.

A worrying 16% say that they are 'heavily reliant' on sat-nav in their cars in order to get anywhere – even to places they regularly visit.

Elsewhere in the study, 40% refuse to admit when they are lost, for fear of embarrassment in front of other people in the car. Almost three in 10 (29%) refuse to stop or ask for directions no matter how lost they get.

One third (33%) said that they regularly found themselves in arguments with their significant others over directions, while women were twice as likely to be preoccupied with grooming themselves, frequently taking their eyes off the road in the process.

Kirsty Quartley, Garmin PND Product Manager, said: “Technology plays an integral role in almost everything that we do, so much so that our Generation Y unequivocally view it not as a luxury – an optional addition, but as a life necessity and increasingly, a right.

“The research highlights just how reliant we are on technology to help get us through our everyday routines and it is becoming increasingly clear that without it, people simply feel ‘lost’, and as is the case without the security of some form of navigation device nearby, that becomes literal.”

By Press Association reporter