Just how many people rely totally on their sat nav and do everything it tells you regardless of the consequences.You will probably have seen in the media the story of the young woman in a £90000+ Merc who turned down a farm track despite the signs saying unsuitable for motor vehicles and drove straight into a very flooded river,and then blames the sat nav.The place where it took place is just up the road from where I live so know the spot well and cant believe how anybody could be so stupid.
Show me the way to go home.
- Thread starter ThePlotter
- Start date
If someone uses sat-nav to find my house they are taken to a village about five miles away and always to the same house. I have to ask people now if they intend to use it so I can advise them not to.
What the problem is I don't know, we live in a very rural area and there are not many houses in our village but I cannot really understand why this should mater.
What the problem is I don't know, we live in a very rural area and there are not many houses in our village but I cannot really understand why this should mater.
As I understand it the sat navs for their data and updates rely on the local authorities providing the latest position with new roads,re alignments etc,so thats local governments fault then and given they are answerable to central government I reckon we can put the blame firmly at the door of Mr Blair.How do you like that for logic(lateral thinking) 
)
)The Satnav is only as good as the mapping it uses.
If the mapping company has made a mistake re an address, its numbering or a post code you'll end up at the wrong destinaion.
Some post codes have been changed or apply to a wide area, Ive been to a post code that applied to a farm but the farms land and more had become an idustrial estate and retail park all sharing the same postcode. The roads were all new build so until the satanav mapping is updated itakes you to a locked gate on a road behind the site near where the farm house was.
You can check to see where your destination is on a satnav and pin point it or get the Lat and Long off net mapping and enter those and it will take you to the door.
If the mapping company has made a mistake re an address, its numbering or a post code you'll end up at the wrong destinaion.
Some post codes have been changed or apply to a wide area, Ive been to a post code that applied to a farm but the farms land and more had become an idustrial estate and retail park all sharing the same postcode. The roads were all new build so until the satanav mapping is updated itakes you to a locked gate on a road behind the site near where the farm house was.
You can check to see where your destination is on a satnav and pin point it or get the Lat and Long off net mapping and enter those and it will take you to the door.
You do see some interesting country when following the sat nav, but never ever follow it to the letter with a caravan in tow.
How is it legal to use an on screen display for navigation? I was always under the impression that it was illegal to have any form of display screen visable to the driver whilst he/she is driving the vehicle. To me the use of one of these contraptions is more distracting than the use of a hand held mobile phone.
Hi
I have tom tom and i have found it to be very good i used it to take a friends van to a site near uxbridge near london and it took us there with no problems it also took us straight to sites in staffordshire and the north west using the post code option.
Saying that going south on the A1 going just passed york where it splits between the A1 and M1 if you take the A1 onto the new part it shows us in a feild and keeps telling us to turn but that only lasts about 1-15 miles
So i think its good and up to now (and this is where i put the mockers on it)it has never let me down.
I have tom tom and i have found it to be very good i used it to take a friends van to a site near uxbridge near london and it took us there with no problems it also took us straight to sites in staffordshire and the north west using the post code option.
Saying that going south on the A1 going just passed york where it splits between the A1 and M1 if you take the A1 onto the new part it shows us in a feild and keeps telling us to turn but that only lasts about 1-15 miles
So i think its good and up to now (and this is where i put the mockers on it)it has never let me down.
Firstly with Satanav you do not drive along the road watching it, it gives you audible warnings and tells you when to turn. Ours have text to speech so even tell you road names or reads you places you name yourself.
If you log a place as Dog Walk or the Brickmakers Arms it tells you that as well.
Satnavs have a locking systenm that you have to over ride to "fiddle" with it when moving, you set your destination and off you go.
Old Fogeys navigation system may have a good memory but my satnav can take you to over a 100000 restaurants and pubs etc around europe and knows where the nearest fuel stations are and the Gas stations when you can't even see one and it also knows where every speed camera location is in the UK and most of Europe if you want to clog it.
The Satnav can be "blind folded" and then tell you exactly where you are in Europe within about a minute to within 3metres, if you blind fold Mrs O F and drive her hundreds of miles from home she wouldn't have clue where she was sat on the top of open moorland or on a Spanish beach. Not only will the satnav know whare it is but will show you where the nearest road was and the nearest facilities such as a hospital or police or the garage to repair your car.
I've now driven many thousands of miles using Satnav and it even re routes us around traffic jams on many roads before you even know there is a problem.
Driver still has to do some input thought wise, but used properly it is by far the greatest driver safety aid, turn prompts are speed based so the faster you travel the sooner you get a turn ahead promt and then a final promt to turn and you are told which exit or lane you need to be in which can be very very useful with a caravan behind.
With the audible warnings you are not keeping your eyes peeled for road signs street names or the correct turning and you will not find yourself facing no entry signs or turns across a centre island, something a navigator often will not know from a map.
Last year the furthest I went alone was to just south Brindisi in Italy via the south of France. I never misssed a turn and it was spot on all the way a part from where a couple of new roads were being built and it still never got lost. Also the arrival times it gives are spookily accurate as it calculates your average speeds as you travel, and when I wanted food, fuel, atm or a hotel it knew exactly where to take me.
If you log a place as Dog Walk or the Brickmakers Arms it tells you that as well.
Satnavs have a locking systenm that you have to over ride to "fiddle" with it when moving, you set your destination and off you go.
Old Fogeys navigation system may have a good memory but my satnav can take you to over a 100000 restaurants and pubs etc around europe and knows where the nearest fuel stations are and the Gas stations when you can't even see one and it also knows where every speed camera location is in the UK and most of Europe if you want to clog it.
The Satnav can be "blind folded" and then tell you exactly where you are in Europe within about a minute to within 3metres, if you blind fold Mrs O F and drive her hundreds of miles from home she wouldn't have clue where she was sat on the top of open moorland or on a Spanish beach. Not only will the satnav know whare it is but will show you where the nearest road was and the nearest facilities such as a hospital or police or the garage to repair your car.
I've now driven many thousands of miles using Satnav and it even re routes us around traffic jams on many roads before you even know there is a problem.
Driver still has to do some input thought wise, but used properly it is by far the greatest driver safety aid, turn prompts are speed based so the faster you travel the sooner you get a turn ahead promt and then a final promt to turn and you are told which exit or lane you need to be in which can be very very useful with a caravan behind.
With the audible warnings you are not keeping your eyes peeled for road signs street names or the correct turning and you will not find yourself facing no entry signs or turns across a centre island, something a navigator often will not know from a map.
Last year the furthest I went alone was to just south Brindisi in Italy via the south of France. I never misssed a turn and it was spot on all the way a part from where a couple of new roads were being built and it still never got lost. Also the arrival times it gives are spookily accurate as it calculates your average speeds as you travel, and when I wanted food, fuel, atm or a hotel it knew exactly where to take me.
One aspect of satnav which has no so far become very apparent, is the problem that it may know where it is, but in due course the driver will not.
When I lived in London I found that a lot of people did not actually know where anything was - they just knew what tube to take and a couple of roads at each end.
For the purpose this generally worked fine, though there are cases where 2 stations are geogrphically a few minutes walk apart, but if you go by tube it can take an hour!
Now imagine that you have been driving through the countryside for a couple of hours, enjoying the scenery, but following the instructions and so paying no attention to navigating. Then the car has a total electrical failure.
You ring your breakdown service on your mobile and they say "fine, just tell us where you are and we'll get out to you."
Oops. You don't know where you are. And your satnav has died with the car.
Or do they have a backup battery?
They first came onto the domestic market for marine leisure (boating) purposes, and whilst I had played with one in my boat, there was much concern that people would rely on them and lose the ability to navigate manually.
Do you always carry good maps in case the system fails?
When I lived in London I found that a lot of people did not actually know where anything was - they just knew what tube to take and a couple of roads at each end.
For the purpose this generally worked fine, though there are cases where 2 stations are geogrphically a few minutes walk apart, but if you go by tube it can take an hour!
Now imagine that you have been driving through the countryside for a couple of hours, enjoying the scenery, but following the instructions and so paying no attention to navigating. Then the car has a total electrical failure.
You ring your breakdown service on your mobile and they say "fine, just tell us where you are and we'll get out to you."
Oops. You don't know where you are. And your satnav has died with the car.
Or do they have a backup battery?
They first came onto the domestic market for marine leisure (boating) purposes, and whilst I had played with one in my boat, there was much concern that people would rely on them and lose the ability to navigate manually.
Do you always carry good maps in case the system fails?
Yes they run on batteries as well O F. and as the AA and Rac have satnav if you take the grid reference off of the unit they should be able to pull up near along side you in the fog.
At the end of the day it is machine and yes it is not perfect, you have to look out for narrow roads and the like, but then you have to do that with a map.
Having a satnav does not mean you switch your brain off.
But driving in dense fog or heavy traffic snow or pouring rain you can't beat the satnav.
Some cases re people saying it had them in the wriong place are due to the aerial losing satellite lock on, ssometimes aused by the car body workor surrounding terain. Good positioning of the unit and the use of a secondary optional aerial can more or less eradicate those problems.
I must admit I rarely carry a map apart from the sat nav map I now have on my mobile phone ;-)
We use Via Michelin and check routes with that and I can do that on the phone as well !
I have friends who sail and yes they do know how to navigate, but satnav has taken through the narrowest of harbour wall gaps in dense fog where they could not even see the wall and their radar was of little help.
At the end of the day it is machine and yes it is not perfect, you have to look out for narrow roads and the like, but then you have to do that with a map.
Having a satnav does not mean you switch your brain off.
But driving in dense fog or heavy traffic snow or pouring rain you can't beat the satnav.
Some cases re people saying it had them in the wriong place are due to the aerial losing satellite lock on, ssometimes aused by the car body workor surrounding terain. Good positioning of the unit and the use of a secondary optional aerial can more or less eradicate those problems.
I must admit I rarely carry a map apart from the sat nav map I now have on my mobile phone ;-)
We use Via Michelin and check routes with that and I can do that on the phone as well !
I have friends who sail and yes they do know how to navigate, but satnav has taken through the narrowest of harbour wall gaps in dense fog where they could not even see the wall and their radar was of little help.
Glad to hear they have back up batteries - that is sensible, so I didn't expect it.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do turn off their brains; on the other hand, a lot of people can't read a map - particulalrly a proper OS map - so nothing new there.
I'm not a technophobe - I built my current PC myself - but it has to offer me something I consider worthwhile before I spend money, and I have yet to see any benefit, for me, in a Satnav.
And I would always carry maps.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do turn off their brains; on the other hand, a lot of people can't read a map - particulalrly a proper OS map - so nothing new there.
I'm not a technophobe - I built my current PC myself - but it has to offer me something I consider worthwhile before I spend money, and I have yet to see any benefit, for me, in a Satnav.
And I would always carry maps.
When working I travel widely in Europe as well as here and
Caravanning O F.
Our Satnavs are about the size of a pack of cards and fit in a shirt pocket. In a city or in the country we can wander wherever we want without a thought to where we left the car parked as its location is set when we park up in a strange location. At the end of our time you just fire it up and you can see where you are and where the car is. And remember all the POI's such as cafes, restaurants, museums, Sainbury's, Aucahn, post offices etc etc etc. They are all there in your hand and more for UK and Europe, you can also have a more detailed overlay similar to OS if you require it for walks in the hills or open country.
Whilst sat waiting for my wife to finish shopping there is also the talking books on it, MP3 player, Language translation or travel guide that can carry more than any guide book and then the machine will take you straight to the place you want or tell you how long it takes to get there.
A map book is a danger with many motorists trying to glanse at a map beside them or on their lap and then work out how many turnings thay have past so they do not miss there turn.
Many years ago I spent about an hour running on fumes at night as I tried to get to the only open Petrol station around one way roads and slip roads, in Antibes I lost the car the boat trip returned to a differnet place to the start and I'd had to park about two miles away and walk back to meet my family, by the ned of the day roads were closed due to some event and despite having the road name where I parked we could not find the small avenue on a map that we had to buy to find the car.
At the end of the day all roads looked the same and were packed with many different parked vehicles.
One of my daughters who has recently took to the roads finds that the speed cam warnings alert her to the "panic braking" motorists speeding around Yorkshire, she does not speed but has a warning of where the cameras are and is ready for those that zoom along and taka last minute panic actions with little thought for others on the road.
My uncle goes walking in Devon and Cornwall twice a month with retired friend/s. He is an ex outward bound and scout leader as is his friend, walking on the moors they have got disorientated and lost even with their OS maps and compass in bad weather. Their wives after they were lost on Dartmoor, and had to be collected near midnight miles from the car banned them from going out again unless they took a mobile and a satnav with the two wives deciding that one would get them a mobile and the other a Satanav suitable for car and walking.
On the road driving find the satanv is such a safety aid that I would not be without now and I can read maps of all kinds.
They played with the satnav for a long time but early last year got caught out by the waether with freezing rain and dense fog. Completely lost again with visibility at about 1 metre the satnav took them back to the side of the car that they could not see 3 metres from the car park entrance path to the moors.
Caravanning O F.
Our Satnavs are about the size of a pack of cards and fit in a shirt pocket. In a city or in the country we can wander wherever we want without a thought to where we left the car parked as its location is set when we park up in a strange location. At the end of our time you just fire it up and you can see where you are and where the car is. And remember all the POI's such as cafes, restaurants, museums, Sainbury's, Aucahn, post offices etc etc etc. They are all there in your hand and more for UK and Europe, you can also have a more detailed overlay similar to OS if you require it for walks in the hills or open country.
Whilst sat waiting for my wife to finish shopping there is also the talking books on it, MP3 player, Language translation or travel guide that can carry more than any guide book and then the machine will take you straight to the place you want or tell you how long it takes to get there.
A map book is a danger with many motorists trying to glanse at a map beside them or on their lap and then work out how many turnings thay have past so they do not miss there turn.
Many years ago I spent about an hour running on fumes at night as I tried to get to the only open Petrol station around one way roads and slip roads, in Antibes I lost the car the boat trip returned to a differnet place to the start and I'd had to park about two miles away and walk back to meet my family, by the ned of the day roads were closed due to some event and despite having the road name where I parked we could not find the small avenue on a map that we had to buy to find the car.
At the end of the day all roads looked the same and were packed with many different parked vehicles.
One of my daughters who has recently took to the roads finds that the speed cam warnings alert her to the "panic braking" motorists speeding around Yorkshire, she does not speed but has a warning of where the cameras are and is ready for those that zoom along and taka last minute panic actions with little thought for others on the road.
My uncle goes walking in Devon and Cornwall twice a month with retired friend/s. He is an ex outward bound and scout leader as is his friend, walking on the moors they have got disorientated and lost even with their OS maps and compass in bad weather. Their wives after they were lost on Dartmoor, and had to be collected near midnight miles from the car banned them from going out again unless they took a mobile and a satnav with the two wives deciding that one would get them a mobile and the other a Satanav suitable for car and walking.
On the road driving find the satanv is such a safety aid that I would not be without now and I can read maps of all kinds.
They played with the satnav for a long time but early last year got caught out by the waether with freezing rain and dense fog. Completely lost again with visibility at about 1 metre the satnav took them back to the side of the car that they could not see 3 metres from the car park entrance path to the moors.
Hi Plotter
I have TTG500 and wouldn't be without it. I don't totally rely on it 100% and if I am towing, I will have a pre-printed route planner and tend to use that rather than the sat nav.
I've had a couple of hiccups with it. Travelling around stoke I think an island has been removed and it threw a wobbler but then it was ok.
It sent me down an horrendous single track road in Cornwall (driving solo thank god) but apart from that it's got me from Cornwall to Newcastle (alone) fine. If I had to rely on my own extremely poor navigation skills, I'd still be on the road driving round in circles.
Lisa
I have TTG500 and wouldn't be without it. I don't totally rely on it 100% and if I am towing, I will have a pre-printed route planner and tend to use that rather than the sat nav.
I've had a couple of hiccups with it. Travelling around stoke I think an island has been removed and it threw a wobbler but then it was ok.
It sent me down an horrendous single track road in Cornwall (driving solo thank god) but apart from that it's got me from Cornwall to Newcastle (alone) fine. If I had to rely on my own extremely poor navigation skills, I'd still be on the road driving round in circles.
Lisa
Gillian Smith Labour MP in the Department of Transport made a reply to the effect "It is preferable to take your eyes off the road to look at a sat-nav device rather than a road map. However under Sections 2 and 3 of the Road Traffic Act using a sat-nav or any other form of guidance system could cause the offences of reckless, careless or inconsiderate driving". A typical reply you could expect from a politician. You are damned either way.
So where do you stand regarding the law as a result of the Road Traffic Act and an MP's statement?
So where do you stand regarding the law as a result of the Road Traffic Act and an MP's statement?
With the Audible commands you are not sat squainting at screen Colin. May be a brief look now and again.
You ma have noticed that you cars has mirrors and speedo, warning lights etc. To use them you have to take your eyes off the road.
If you drive in a city you have to check out road names on plates that you can't find at first and look out for the chippy on the corner and then take Alma road (if you can spot it) the left or what ever. With a satnav your eyes are on he road probably more when navigating compared to using maps.
You ma have noticed that you cars has mirrors and speedo, warning lights etc. To use them you have to take your eyes off the road.
If you drive in a city you have to check out road names on plates that you can't find at first and look out for the chippy on the corner and then take Alma road (if you can spot it) the left or what ever. With a satnav your eyes are on he road probably more when navigating compared to using maps.
Try taking Tom Tom to Bath...its a scream in the one way system...but make sure you do your homework or you'll be there forever. Great fun. I love saying 'no' to ours.
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