Sat navs

When making a post, please ensure it complies with this site's Main Rules at all times.
  • I have a sat nav and I wouldn't dream of leaving home without it unless I was just popping to the shops or somewhere local. It tells me the traffic conditions and the fastest route, where the speed cameras are and warns me of them and tells me at what time I will arrive at my destination among other things.

    However, what it doesn't tell me is the width of the roads en route or the height of any bridges. The width of narrow roads are almost invariably shown on signs at the entrance to it and there are height indications for bridges as you approach them on every road.

    So why oh why do people blame their sat navs for 'sending ' them along narrow roads, down farm tracks, into rivers and along railway lines etc? Why are these people too stupid to take their eyes off the sat nav and look at road signs?

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/…at-nav-fails10/

  • It's one of the side effects of technology, I suppose. The same reason why people don't look at maps or plan their long-range journeys using maps, because the sat nav "will do it for them," until it doesn't.

    I was actually being driven home a few nights ago, I don't drive, and the sat nav said to go one way and I said to go another. The driver decided to ignore me, even though I have known the area all my life and followed the sat nav instead which of course turned out to be wrong and added a unnecessary 10 minutes onto the journey.

  • I have Tom Tom with traffic and camera alerts. The few times I thought I knew better than my satnav have usually brought me trouble. Now I use it all the time. Can't understand why anyone has problems!?

  • Actually there is one little error - Tom Tom always underestimates speeds on A roads. If you drive to Scotland it will suggest M40 M6 every time but in reality the A1 is not much slower and easier to get round hold ups when they come up. Not to mention it's a more interesting route... Once satnavs start learning from actual driving they'll be a whole lot better.

  • The trouble with all this sort of thing is that people are losing their ability to find their way, do calculations and various other tasks without digital help. If they were to get lost in some wilderness, their phone batteries and any other were to run down and they were thrown upon their knowledge of finding direction and food and shelter, they would not survive. Being personally capable gives individuals confidence to solve problems. Letting Aunty Android do everything is going to cause an "I, Robot" situation.

  • Maybe but I think people are usually a little more resourceful when pushed. Plus the chances of anyone in England ever finding themselves in a wilderness (that didn't choose it!) is so remote, is it a skill that will be missed?

  • I have Tom Tom with traffic and camera alerts. The few times I thought I knew better than my satnav have usually brought me trouble. Now I use it all the time. Can't understand why anyone has problems!?

    I'm with you and Tom Tom. I can't say it is totally 100% because there are very, very occasional blips, but it must have saved me hours of sitting on the M25. However I also agree that it does tend to favour motorways when sometimes an A road is preferable.

  • Maybe but I think people are usually a little more resourceful when pushed. Plus the chances of anyone in England ever finding themselves in a wilderness (that didn't choose it!) is so remote, is it a skill that will be missed?

    I think technology is marvelous, I just think that humans should try not to lose their skills sets that were part of every child's learning curve not so long ago.

  • I love paper maps, the type that are impossible to fold, where anywhere you want to go is always on a fold or just over the edge. :) When we plan to travel to a new area the first thing I do is get a new map. Opening a new map, that lovely crisp feel and pouring over all the myriad of details is bliss.

    Sat Navs work I guess, never ended up in a cul-de-sac or in a field but they are boring. I have on occasion, when I am feeling impish turned left when told to turn right or exited a boring motor way and awaited the resulting schoolmarm instructions that attempt to get me back on track.

  • I don't have a Sat Nav as most of the places I go to I've already been. There is the odd occasion, such as going to a new client in a strange town that it could be of use but I usually use Google maps and street view to confirm the way to go. Then print a map of the locality and pencil in the route.

    When I'm down in West Cornwall the A30 out of Penzance Westward goes to Land's End directly but there's a shorter route through a small village (St Buryan) by a narrow twisty road with passing places and a horse shoe bend on a 1 in 6 hill that ends up joining the A30 just out of Land's End. It's amazing to watch almost all the tourists turn onto that road, presumably because their Sat Nav is set for shortest route.

    Recently I went to a test house with a visiting German engineer and he'd bought his Sat Nav over. It seemed strange to have this very polite sounding German voice coming out of it. I thought it might be more authoritaian. You know, barked orders.:D

    I also like paper maps especially when out walking as they show you all the local features and paths. The fun bit is getting it orientated right especially when you don't have a compass and have to read the topography and then match the map to it.

  • The main benefit is traffic and camera alerts. Saved me a lot of time and points.

  • I must never be given a map. Mr Wing would say, "Look at the map. Find so and so."

    "Right, got it."

    "Are we going north or south?"

    Now that's asking too much. The map becomes a mystery. I lose direction, if I ever had any and I realise that I have mathematical dyslexia. If there is such a thing, I really do have it in spades. I'm hopeless. Can't calculate a thing.

  • It seemed strange to have this very polite sounding German voice coming out of it. I thought it might be more authoritaian. You know, barked orders.

    As this forum software is German and I am current getting assistance from the developers and others (who may check this place out) I will not make a comment on that.;)

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!