Research To See If Sat Navs Can Cause Car Crashes

[right-2n]The study will include drivers carrying out computer-based tasks that mimic the demands imposed by a typical in-car navigation system. A team from Lancaster University and psychologists from Royal Holloway, University of London, will be involved in the project.

One of the researchers, Dr Pragya Agarwal of Lancaster University, said: "There is little research on the impacts of sat navs on spatial attention and memory while undertaking a complex task such as driving.

"Although sat nav makers have claimed that such technology aids driving behaviour, we are interested in finding out accurate measurements for how much driving performance and memory of routes worsens while using a sat nav."

She went on: "Can drivers remember the routes they have taken using sat navs? Do they get distracted and stressed? Are they more likely to make errors?

"Currently, most sat navs give route information in form of visual displays and audio instructions. We want to also examine whether this is the best - and safest - way to give such information to drivers."

The researchers will assess the types of information drivers receive and the responses they must make while using navigation systems.

Dr Agarwal added: "With the increasing reliance on technology for navigation, it is important that such technology is designed so that it supports rather than detracts us from our primary task of driving.

"We hope that this research will contribute to the development of guidelines for the design of more effective, safe and user-friendly in-car navigation systems."