Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart research has found 54% of drivers have been diverted onto rural roads because of congestion on motorways, dual carriageways and other major A roads.
Drivers are being urged to consider ignoring sat nav instructions over fears they could send motorists down more dangerous roads.
Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart research has found 54% of drivers have been diverted onto rural roads because of congestion on motorways, dual carriageways and other major A roads.
Rural roads can be more dangerous because they contain unpredictable hazards like blind bends, narrow lanes, and hidden junctions.
IAM RoadSmart also warned there is a risk that more drivers may be unfamiliar with rural routes and unplanned diversions.
Latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) show 60% of road deaths in Britain in 2024 happened on rural roads. This is despite them carrying just 45% of traffic.
The survey of 1,042 UK motorists and 114 IAM RoadSmart motorbike riders was conducted by research company Online95 in February.
IAM RoadSmart director of policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Every year, more people are killed on a rural road than any other road type, yet worryingly we’re seeing a high number of people taking unplanned diversions to use them.
“Congestion is inevitable, but we would encourage people to question if a diversion onto an unclassified or single-track route is worth saving a few minutes, considering the increased hazards they might face.
“Often, other people following sat navs will similarly divert and you end up with traffic volumes that exceed what the road is designed for.
“Traffic growth shows little sign of abating, yet without a commitment to increase capacity on the wider strategic network, we may see more traffic filtering onto the rural road network, with potentially grave consequences.”
It comes after separate research from the AA found less than half of drivers (44%) feel very confident when driving without a sat nav or mapping app.
Only around half are very confident driving without parking sensors, parking cameras or blind-spot monitoring.
But the AA research also revealed 40% of drivers say in-car technology has worsened driving standards on UK roads. Many more younger motorists think this (51% of 25–34s) compared with just 36% of over-65s.
Even with almost universal features such as electronic parking brakes, hill-start assist and traffic-sign recognition, only around three in five drivers say they’d feel fully confident behind the wheel without them.
The ability to safely use a sat nav was added to the UK driving test in 2017. AA Driving School has pioneered virtual reality training for new instructors, which allows them to practice guiding learners through modern driving scenarios, from sat nav use to reverse parking with sensors.
