Survey reveals two thirds of drivers own a road atlas

An AA survey has found two thirds of drivers have their own road atlas – however, the majority are failing to update theirs regularly enough to meet the changing infrastructure of the roads.

A Yonder poll of more than 15,000 drivers found that nearly one in five admitted to never updating their road atlas, while another 11 per cent said they keep using their current one for at least five years before purchasing a new one. Another 18 per cent update theirs every three years.

Interestingly only seven per cent will change theirs every year, which is how often the AA recommends to do so.

When it comes to regions, drivers in Northern Ireland and Scotland were found to be the least likely to update theirs, with 21 per cent and 20 per cent respectively still having their original purchase.

In comparison, drivers in the East and West Midlands were the most likely to keep theirs up-to-date – here, nine per cent of respondents said they bought new copies each year.

Edmund King, AA President, commented: “Two thirds of drivers still have an atlas but too many of them are out of date. Despite the advent of the sat nav, AA atlases are still an essential in-car item alongside the ice-scraper or torch. When roads are blocked following an incident many sat navs just try to re-route back onto the blocked road, whereas the atlas can show you alternative routes. When planning a road trip, nothing quite compares to the excitement of turning the pages of an atlas. Even the Queen has been spotted with an AA Atlas.”

Are you looking for a new caravan? Then be sure to check our buying guides, where we look at the best caravans on the market. For instance, we round up the best 4 berth caravans and the best caravan for couples.

If you’re not sure what brand to go for, you can also read our guide to the best caravan manufacturers, or why not head to our caravan reviews section? There, you will be able to find our impartial reviews on the latest releases.

If you prefer to tour with a sat-nav, be sure to check out our best caravan sat-nav guide too.

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Peter Byrne

Peter is the Content Editor for Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome. With over half a decade of experience as a digital editor, Peter’s expertise spans from interiors and homes to food and design. Writing for the website – and occasionally the magazine – Peter oversees the online buying guides, features and news. His career to-date has seen him do everything from launching websites to giving a speech to 250 people at the Tower of London with less than 24 hours notice.