A survey has shown that in a bid to prove that man will emerge victorious in the inevitable battle with the machines, more than 80% of sat-nav using British motorists have admitted to regularly attempting to reach their destination in a time quicker than that suggested by the device or to even seek out a quicker or more efficient route.

It goes something like this: Sat-nav devices are bought because why not – they can certainly come in handy. And, initially, they do. However, the majority of journeys made in the car are routine – to work, to school, to the shops. Inevitably, via osmosis or similar, the journey becomes so familiar that the sat-nav is no longer required. And yet, it continues to be used. They’re pricey, and such investments need to be justified. Sat-navs can’t just sit in the glove-box gathering dust. What a waste of money that would be.

Because routine is mind-numbingly boring, any possible means of rendering things that little bit more entertaining are jumped upon. So, when for the fourteen-thousandth time that year the sat-nav proudly declares that the journey will take fifty-three minutes, many drivers are now heard to remark something along the lines of “oh really? Well. We’ll see about that.”

The practice, known as Route Racing, comes across as a genuinely endearing means of lacing the familiar and the routine with fun and interest. It shows that we’re still human. And that’s why the machines will never win.

When even Route Racing becomes boring, one can instead try “Going Dark”. This involves the motorist taking an alternative route to avoid such annoyances as road-works and congestion. The object of the game is to see how long it takes for the sat-nav to recalculate the route.

Games should be played at your own risk, though. The consequences of messing with the sat-nav can be disastrous.

Click here for Nationwide’s car accessories offers.

Monday mornings are, generally speaking, unspeakably horrible. Returning, as you do, to the grind after a weekend spent doing absolutely anything else, on Monday mornings the rain seems that little bit wetter, the traffic jams that little bit longer; the tedium that little bit more soul crushing.

Well, guess what? This Monday, September 6, things are set to be even worse than they usually are. How about that?

The kids are going back to school in their droves and countless scores of people are returning from their holidays. This is set to be one of the year’s busiest days in terms of road travel.

Satnav manufacturers TomTom have published a series of statistics which reveal that on the equivalent “back to school” Monday last year, there were 702 more miles of traffic and 297 more traffic incidents compared to your typical August Monday morning; which sees but 385 miles of congestions and 281 incidents.

The TomTom HD Traffic centre reported that typically there were 1087 miles of delays on all roads between 6am and 9am on last year’s ‘back to school’ Monday (7 September 2009). This compares with just 385 miles of hold ups across the country on a typical Monday morning in August (24 August 2009). Between 9am and 1pm on the same Monday in 2009, there were 869 miles of delays as against 385 miles two weeks earlier. At 8.30am on Monday 7 September last year there were a total of 578 separate traffic incidents causing rush hour delays, compared with only 281 incidents in mid-August.

I would suggest that your day, the kids’ day and everybody’s day could be brightened immeasurably through downloading TomTom’s new Spongebob Squarepants or Dora The Explorer voices for their SatNav devices. However, the screeching caterwauls of these Saturday morning stalwarts might lead to murder.

Instead, you can check on the latest traffic situation in your area through visiting their HD Traffic site, which is updated every three minutes.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is pleased to offer our customers the innovative Lanesafe Head Up Display and to celebrate, we have a fantastic competition to win a Lanesafe unit!

Lanesafe is a new lane safety kit that projects a visual image on your windscreen to constantly remind drivers which side of the road to drive on when travelling in the UK or abroad. The clever kit has been designed to help save thousands of lives lost due to accidents abroad caused by driving on the wrong side of the road.

The Lanesafe Head Up Display boasts an integrated solar panel that charges the battery throughout the day to automatically switch the unit on at night. A 12V in-car charger is also included in the kit for instant illumination.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a special offer on the Lanesafe Head Up Display. You can now order this fantastic product for only £22.95 with a FREE Travel First Aid Kit worth £7.99. Visit our Car Accessories shop for more information.

The Lanesafe Competition has now closed. Congratulations to the winner Caroline Maffia!

To find out more about the Lanesafe Head Up Display, please visit our Car Accessories shop.

Make cleaning your car easier than ever with the Black & Decker Dustbuster Hand Vac.

The Black & Decker Dustbuster Hand Vac is a handy cordless vacuum with two levels of filtration and a convenient wall mount for easy storage. Powered by a 3.6V motor, the Black & Decker Dustbuster Hand Vac comes with a crevice tool and hand brush to help you clean those hard-to-reach areas.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a great offer on the Black & Decker Dustbuster Hand Vac. You can purchase this handy handheld car vacuum for only £24.95. To find out more this fantastic offer, please follow the link below:

Black & Decker Dustbuster Hand Vac

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts offer a wide range of Car Vacuum Cleaners from popular brands such as Black & Decker and Karcher. Order safely online to receive exclusive discounts and offers.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts are pleased to offer the Beep&Park range to our customers.

Beep&Park offer a wide range of high quality parking sensors to suit every budget and vehicle and come fully installed by one of our approved fitters.

The Beep&Park 5 Front & Rear Parking Sensors come with a dash mounted digital display and integrated audio alert. Eight wireless sensors – four at the front & four at the rear – are fitted to your vehicle, detecting any obstacles and sounding an audible alert.

The Beep&Park 5 kit engages as soon as the engine is started. The front ultrasonic sensors are activated for 10 seconds when the vehicle starts up, and are reactivated as soon as the driver engages the reverse gear. Engaging reverse gear also activates the rear sensors.

In addition to the integrated audio alert, the Beep&Park 5 Front & Rear Parking Sensors also come with a dashboard mounted digital display which displays the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle. The Beep&Park 5 kit is compatible with tow bars and 4X4’s with a spare wheel is attached to the rear of the vehicle.

To find out more about the Beep&Park 5 Front & Rear Parking Sensors and to order safely online, please follow the link below:

Beep&Park 5 Front & Rear Parking Sensors

The Beep&Park 5 Front & Rear Parking Sensors includes onsite installation at your home or workplace (restrictions apply) and professional colour coding to the exact paint colour of your vehicle.

If you’re looking for a secure holder for your iPhone or iPod Touch, the innovative SeatBuddy is a flexible mounting solution ideal for car, train or plane travel.

The flexible SeatBuddy securely holds your iPhone or iPod Touch in place, allowing you to watch movies or listen to music handsfree. Simply place the flexible SeatBuddy straps in the door or your glove box or on the fold down tray on the back of a train or plane seat and your iPhone or iPod Touch hangs securely in front of you.

The SeatBuddy can also be used in the gym*. Simply mount the SeatBuddy device to the gym equipment (e.g. treadmill) and greatly reduce the chance of dropping or damaging your iPhone or iPod touch. The innovative design protects your device against knocks and bumps and provides access to charging and headphone ports.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a fantastic car accessories offer on the iPhone SeatBuddy. You can now order this superb iPhone/iPod holder for only £17.95.

To find out more about the SeatBuddy, check compatibility and order safely online, please follow the link below:

SeatBuddy for iPhone 3G 3GS & iPod Touch

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts offers a wide range of iPod Car Kits at great prices. Choose from a huge selection of iPod Car Chargers, FM Transmitters and Hands-Free Car Kits.

*NB: Please seek advice from a staff member before attaching the SeatBuddy to any gym equipment.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts are pleased to offer a wide range of iPod Car Kits to our customers.

iPod Car Kits allow you to connect your iPod, iPhone or favourite MP3 player directly to your vehicle so you can listen to your favourite music tracks through your car speakers. iPod / iPhone car kits range from simple wire connections to connect your iPod to your existing car stereo to fully installed music kits from popular brands such as Parrot and Motorola.

If you’re looking for a portable iPod Car Kit that you can use in any vehicle or at home, you might want to consider an FM Transmitter. FM Transmitters attach easily to your iPod, iPhone or MP3 player to allow you to play your favourite tracks via an FM radio. FM Transmitters are inexpensive, lightweight and easy to use. Some FM Transmitter even come with app support for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts also offer a wide range of portable chargers to make sure your iPod or iPhone is never without battery life. You can purchase the popular iPod / iPhone Car Charger for only £7.95 with FREE delivery or invest in one of our iPod charging packs with universal adapters for travel abroad. Our prices are competitive and we offer next working day delivery on most of our products.

View our full range of iPod Car Kits and order safely online to receive exclusive discounts and special offers.

Recent research has revealed that eating in your car can pose more of a risk to your health than eating from a toilet seat! The staphylococcus bacteria bug that causes food poisoning, skin infections and vomiting was recently found on car steering wheels, gear sticks and car seats, thriving in dirty vehicles and in hot conditions.

Protect yourself and your passengers from the staphylococcus bug by regularly cleaning your car. Nationwide Vehicle Contracts sell a wide number of car vacuum cleaners with prices starting from just £9.95. These lightweight, handheld vacuums make cleaning your vehicle easier than ever and come included with special car attachments to help you get into those hard to reach areas.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts also sell a number of domestic vacuum cleaners, ideal for the car, home, workshop or basement. Find and compare prices on cheap vacuum cleaners from popular brands such as Karcher and Black & Decker and order safely online to receive exclusive discounts & low sale prices.

To view the full range of car vacuum cleaners, please follow the link below:

Car Vacuum Cleaners

Visit our Car Accessories shop for all your car cleaning products including Pressure Washers and Car Care products.

If you’re looking for a Bluetooth car kit with iPod/iPhone music compatibility and impressive sound quality, you might want to consider the Motorola TK30.

The Motorola TK30 is a hands-free car kit with cutting edge noise cancellation technology, Bluetooth, stereo surround sound, exceptional sound quality and audio reminders. The Motorola TK30 is also one of the few kits on the market that allows you to pair two phones simultaneously, making it the ideal Bluetooth car kit for business users.

Enjoy your favourite music tracks in rich hi-fi sound with the Motorola TK30. Simply connect your iPod, iPhone or other personal music device to the Motorola TK30 to enjoy great volume with minimum distortion thanks to the built in digital, four channel amplifier that independently drives the speakers. You can also stream music wirelessly with your compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a fantastic offer on the Motorola TK30. You can now order this superb hands-free kit for just £215.95 with onsite installation at your home or workplace (restrictions apply) included in the price.

To view the full features of the Motorola TK30 and to order safely online, please follow the link below:

Motorola TK30 Bluetooth (Includes Onsite Installation)

Please check compatibility before placing an order.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts offer a wide range of Mobile Phone Accessories to help keep you safe and legal whilst staying in touch. Visit our Car Accessories shop to view our full range and to order safely online.

Recently, my girlfriend and I took a trip which required for us to submit entirely to the unquestionable will of the sat-nav. In a story which must strike a familiar chord with anybody who’s ever used such a device, eyebrows were raised when, with an air of confidence with which we couldn’t argue, the dulcet tones of the machine directed us up a narrow, meandering side-road which was blocked-off by permanent bollards half-way down. It being a steep incline, packed with parked cars and, like I say, ludicrously narrow, reversing was no easy task. But it was only when, having reached the bottom of this troublesome road, the sat-nav urged us to “perform a U-turn when possible” that we began to question the infallibility of the machine.

It comes as no surprise to me, then, to learn that studies show that as little as one in eight Brits proclaim to trust their sat-nav. The same survey details how over a third of Brits have apparently found themselves to be completely lost having relied solely on their navigation system, with 15% of such people missing such important events as job interviews, weddings or first-dates as a result.

These innocuous little boxes, with their compassionate airs and softly-spoken natures, are also apparently responsible for no small amount of aggravation, with 30% of  drivers admitting that they cause arguments with fellow passengers.

Whilst some may argue that this indicates the start of the machine uprising – they’re slowly creating a state of chaos through deliberately spreading ill-feeling, terror, confusion and mistrust – more reasonable sorts may instead conclude that it’s never advisable to trust computers entirely. A degree of caution and common-sense is always preferable to simply following these devices blindly.

The research follows the recent announcement that actor Brian Blessed will be the voice of all TomTom car navigation systems from October. This will either make things better or much, much worse.