(1888PressRelease)
August 11, 2007 - It looks like the traditional image of a couple heading down the motorway with two kids in the back and a map on the passenger's knee could soon be a thing of the past. Although it's long been suspected that the cool logic of the satnav will put paid to heated arguments after a missed junction - especially given the "are we nearly there yet" every 30 seconds - it could happen sooner than we think.
A new poll conducted by car insurance company esure.com has revealed a lack of map-reading skills, with around two-thirds of road users saying that they would be confounded and lost without their satnav devices. This represents 21 million Britons who rely heavily on the devices to find their away around this relatively small country. Furthermore, eight per cent ( 2.5 million motorists) claimed that they could not live without their satnavs - although this might not mean they drop stone dead should the devices be lost or stolen.
And while it may be more difficult to determine which is the cause or effect, it seems that a lack of basic map reading skills is behind this trend. According to the insurer's study, just one per cent would be able to attain their cub scout map reading badge, while 17 per cent could not even pick out the symbol for a motorway.
Ultimately, the research concluded that 35 per cent of the nation's drivers are unable to read a road map. It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that 16 per cent of drivers have scrapped the idea of carrying a map altogether, while 63 per cent have an old copy.
However, it also seems that the battle of the sexes is over when it comes to this dying skill. While men turned out to be better at reading four-figure references, women could identify symbols more effectively.
Scott Sinclair from Ordnance Survey, Britain's national mapping agency, said: "It's time for motorists to take a refresher in map reading skills. Technology is great but the batteries won't run out on a paper map.
"No serious hill walker would rely totally on a GPS device in case the power goes or the signal is lost, so it should be the same for the motorist. Many people still enjoy maps and they can really help you build up a sense of the world around you."
So although satnavs may well get you from A to B, Britain is a historic country and one may miss much of it without the crossed swords showing old battlefields, or sunray viewpoint symbols on maps.
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