There have been suggestions in the UK media recently that in-car navigation systems distract drivers and cause accidents. It’s good, therefore, to hear the other side of the argument from the RAC. It points out that peering among the forest of roadside distractions to read old-fashioned road-signs is not exactly a zero-effort task either.

"There are many examples of excessive signage," the RAC Foundation's Edmund King told Reuters. "One junction we have seen has 16 different signs, but psychologists tell us the most messages we can take in at any one time is between three and five."