Most Truck Drivers Use Truck-Specific Navigation, ATRI Study Says
The majority of truck drivers who use navigation systems use those intended for truck use, but almost a third use systems meant for passenger cars, the American Transportation Research Institute said.
Despite the number of drivers using the wrong navigation systems, only 2% of drivers said the directions provided by their navigation devices had ever caused a crash, ATRI said.
The figures were among the findings from surveys ATRI conducted with 677 truck drivers and 169 carrier representatives as part of its research into the use of navigation systems.
“This research is an important first step in understanding the role of navigation systems in large truck crashes,” Kendra Hems, president of the New York State Motor Truck Association and a member of ATRI’s research advisory committee, said in a statement announcing the study’s release.
The group will soon start a second phase of the research in which it will analyze quantitative data about navigation system use, as well as the failures and inadequacies of the directions.
The complete study is available upon request via ATRI’s website, www.atri-online.org
