IF you were lucky engough to get a sat nav in your Christmas stocking then as we all head back to work this is a good time to make full use of it.
At this time of the year it's worth looking at journey planning at a time when you’re likely to meet plenty of traffic on the roads as well as adverse weather conditions.
Journey planning makes sense and it doesn’t cost anything, apart from a bit of time, and can save money through reduced fuel usage and less wear and tear on the vehicle.
Planning your journey to miss traffic hotspots, commuting outside of the busiest times and cutting out unecessary miles all make a difference.
Combine this with selected use of public transport and the results are notable for your pocket, your time and the environment.
Sat nav can help you to stay on track during a long journey. The only caveat is that sat nav is a navigational aid and can’t be trusted completely to get you from A to B in the quickest and most economical way.
Stories emerge all the time of people travelling miles out of their way, getting stuck down impassable country lanes, or ending up in a farmer’s field because the sat nav has let them down.
It’s always worth having a general idea of the route that you need to take before setting off so that you can sense check the directions that it’s giving you.
With that in mind, look forward to safe driving over the weeks ahead.
Mike Waters is director of market insight at Arval, Europe's leading funded fleet and fuel management company.