21 December 2007

Christmas sat-nav warning issued by LARSOA

The Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association (LARSOA) is warning that collision levels on the UK's roads could increase after the festive season as a result of the estimated 250,000 sat-nav systems bought as Christmas presents this year.

Research released earlier this year by consumer research group Mintel show that British drivers have spent more than £340million on sat-navs in the last year. This has prompted LARSOA to issue advice on their use to help save lives and prevent collisions on UK roads.

Simon Ettinghausen, a spokesperson for LARSOA, said:

"Sat-navs are a great help for drivers when used properly and we see them as an integral part of motoring for years to come.

"As one of the most popular gifts this Christmas LARSOA feels that some drivers who are not used to using sat-navs may use them in a way that could place themselves or other road users in danger."

Distractions while driving are a major cause of collisions on the UK's roads and with the increasing use of technology on the roads, drivers are subjected to a barrage of information when driving which has the potential to lead to collisions.

LARSOA's guidance on using sat-nav systems includes five key points:

1. Position your sat-nav on your vehicle windscreen, so it doesn't obscure your field of vision and make sure it is securely attached so it doesn't come loose while driving.
2. Plan your journey in advance and use your sat-nav as a navigation aid. Make sure the route your sat-nav has planned is appropriate.
3. Don't operate the sat-nav while your vehicle is moving. If you need to operate your sat-nav, first find a safe place to pull over.
4. When driving at night ensure the display of your sat-nav is set to night mode if available or is dimmed.
5. Make sure the sat-nav battery is charged or the unit is plugged into a power source before setting off on a journey. If you need to connect the unit to a power source during a journey, first find a safe location to pull in and stop.

Mr Ettinghausen went on to say:
"We are not anti-sat-nav, but we are concerned that so many people will effectively be trying them out at the same time. A little bit of common sense from all of us could help save lives on our roads.

"The five points we have issued provide a guide for best practice when using a sat-nav system and have been created with the aim of giving drivers a short, common-sense checklist to go through before starting a journey using their system.

"By issuing this guidance we hope that it will encourage drivers who are using sat-navs to use them safely and responsibly."

For further information please contact Chris Taylor at DTW on 01287 610 404 or 07949 287 356.

ABOUT LARSOA

LARSOA is a national road safety organisation representing road safety officers (RSOs) employed in local government across the UK.

LARSOA represents 185 of the 200 eligible local authorities across the UK, assisting RSOs to fulfil their statutory role to reduce the number and severity of road casualties through education, training and publicity programmes.

LARSOA publishes an up-to-date round-up of road safety news from across the UK on its website www.larsoa.org.uk .

LARSOA also aims to influence national debate - government policy and action together with public opinion. The association works to achieve national recognition for road safety issues, commissions research into behaviour which contributes to road collisions and develops national road safety campaigns.

The association assists in identifying achievable national targets to reduce the number of collisions on the country's roads.