Ignore sat nav diversions to unfamiliar roads when stuck in traffic, drivers told

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Drivers are being urged to ignore sat nav instructions that reroute them onto rural roads.

The plea from highway security charity IAM RoadSmart comes as its current survey discovered 54% of motorists are being diverted onto nation lanes to bypass congestion on motorways, twin carriagewayss and different main A-roads.

The warning comes as Division for Transport (DfT) figures for 2024 reveal 60% of highway deaths in Britain occurred on rural roads, regardless of carrying solely 45% of visitors.

IAM RoadSmart highlighted inherent risks: agricultural automobiles, slim lanes, and restricted visibility from roadside foliage.

It warned that with out elevated capability on main roads, extra drivers threat being directed onto unfamiliar, hazardous rural routes.

Then-prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled all future good motorway tasks in April 2023 due to security considerations.

All lane working good motorways – which enhance capability by changing the arduous shoulder right into a reside lane – have been rolled out from 2014.

IAM RoadSmart director of coverage Nicholas Lyes stated: “Yearly, extra individuals are killed on a rural highway than every other highway kind, but worryingly we’re seeing a excessive variety of individuals taking unplanned diversions to make use of them.

“Congestion is inevitable, however we might encourage individuals to query if a diversion onto an unclassified or single-track route is price saving a couple of minutes, contemplating the elevated hazards they may face.

“Typically, different individuals following sat navs will equally divert and you find yourself with visitors volumes that exceed what the highway is designed for.

“Site visitors development exhibits little signal of abating, but with out a dedication to extend capability on the broader strategic community, we may even see extra visitors filtering onto the agricultural highway community, with doubtlessly grave penalties.”

– The survey of 1,042 UK motorists and 114 IAM RoadSmart bike riders was performed by analysis firm Online95 in February.