boxst

I can see the government banning the use of these in cars .....

Sat-nav blamed for 300,000 crashes - Yahoo! News UK

Steve

PeteBrant

Be alright if the ****ing stupid cow giving you directions had a basic grasp of driving terminology.

Instead of "Come of at the next junction, then turn right at the roundabout"", she says" Carry straight on, then, bear to the left,and stay to the right"

Coffin Dodger

Before the days of Sat-Nav I rolled into the back of someone whilst trying to read a map in the queue for a roundabout (no damage luckily ).

Does that count?

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I guess "being a f*cking idiot blamed for 300,000 crashes" isn't quite as newsworthy, even if it is strictly more accurate

Dracoro

On a positive note, it should help thwarp any NL ideas to use sat nav to control vehicles (speeds etc.) as the systems clearly get things wrong.

won't stop them really but certainly adds to the case against it.

GC8

Very NL, eh? Its 'SatNavs' causing the crashes, so ban them; not its idiots not paying attention to the road...

Its a brave new world.

Martin2005

I'm not sure where NL have said anything of the sort fella, but go ahead rant away about the government.

as355f1

utter bollox no way can they cause over 800 crashes a day

Shark Man

With the places some people plonk them on the windscreen its not suprising

I stick mine* on the drivers side corner of the windscreen, not slap bang in the middle. That way its closer to my eyes, and is roughly the same focus distance as the dash guages and it doesn't block the view ahead.

*its not mine; I don't own one - but I do borrow one on occasions.

swampster

iTrader: (1)

Ditto that...right down to the borrowing!

Klaatu

There was a similar "problem" when ABS systems became standard fitment on cars, people were driving in to the rears of other cars, the drivers blaming the ABS system. Of course, it was idiot drivers were the "cause".

I do accept that sat nav systems can be a distraction, like radios, cellphones, kids and pets etc, but ultimately, it's down to driver skill.

PS. I actually don't like ABS systems because I can stop quicker in almost all road conditions without it (Trained to do it before the days of ABS being standard).

lozgti

Prefer maps myself.

Sat Navs seem to send your brain to mush.

Some people don't even actually know how they got to somewhere or where that place is in the country,they just 'followed the sat nav'

PeteBrant

There's 31.7 million drivers in the UK. I wouldn't 800 crashes per day due to sat nav is too far fetched.

scooby L

Sound's like u've got a pretty cr@p sat nav then

My biatch knows what a roundabout is... even tells me which exit I need AND tells me which of the exits are "no exits"

BlkKnight

As much as I hate to admit reading the mirror, the paper actually states:

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Wonder whose ar*e that number was picked out of?

"Hello, is that the police? I'd like to report a near miss... <click> <brrrrr>"

GC8

In trying to be clever, youve shown yourself up. Read what Ive said again and only comment when you understand.

TelBoy

I'd bet good money that drivers looking down to a map on the passenger seat or wherever leads to a lot more crashes than SatNav is being blamed for....

Dracoro

Are there actually 300,000 crashes every year? let alone where sat nav was the cause.

TonyG

Of course, that figure means there is a minimum of 300 000 stupids driving on the roads. Be careful out there.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Or, that 87% of statistics are made up on the spot. It's true you know

Eddie1980

I once removed the near side mirror from the van I was driving while holding a map over the steering wheel.

I suspect that while people have accidents using them they on the whole mean the driver is less distracted and more able to focus on hazards, at least that's my experience of before and after the sat nav revolution.

Shark Man

Me too

Although my mind will suck a map route in one big gulp: I visualise my route in my head in a toplogical manner like in GTA 1 (the original overhead view version)...just without the killing or the car-jacking

I often find Sat navs don't send you the most effective route to avoid congested/slower routes. Good example for me is Birmingham to Lincoln: Every sat nav I have tred sends me up the M42-->A42 etc Where the quicker route is the M6-->M69 (even if its slightly further). Taking the M42 route will put about 30mins onto the journey time (depending on traffic).

Holy Ghost

did you hear the one about the romanian lorry driver delivering cars from gibraltar to turkey this week? he tw@t-navved his way onto the wrong road in gib and ended up stuck down a narrow lane near ... skegness in lincs. an error of 1,600 miles.

blind faith in technology despite the evidence of your own eyes will get you nowhere ...

TelBoy

LOL, oh i couldn't agree more, HG...

lozgti

But with a map,you are just looking at it before you set off.

More often than not you then know which roads you need to get to where eg my 200 mile trip to devon was not complicated

m5 to Taunton

Taunton to Bideford

Atlantic Highway and keep those eyes peeled for the village where you are going

Sat nav would have got right on my pap for all those miles.Probably only quiet on the m5 apart from lots of 'keep right' instructions.Duh

Sat Nav can be handy say in a city and you have no A-Z otherwise,nah.

boxst

Apart from the people who can't pay attention to the road whilst using Satellite Navigation I think it is great.

Last year I went to Poland: I typed an address in from my house in East Sussex and 1200 miles later was there. I was extremely impressed.

Steve

boxst

And with a Garmin unit you can reprogram the voices. Great fun, instead of saying "recalculating" my wife's voice says "Pay Attention, stupid!".

Edit: Just looked and can't find the program anymore.

Steve

Evil Twin of Tarquin

Maybe we should remove all driver aids from cars as they all contribute to acidents.

ABS - I don't need to look at the road ahead, as I know I can panic brake and the system will save me whatever the road conditions. I can use a 'phone, do my makeup etc and if I have to brake late the ABS will stop me

Traction control / stability control - I can hoof it everywhere in any conditions and the car will save me

Airbags - If the above two systems do fail to save me, the airbags and seatbelts will prevent me being killed.

How about we install a sodding great spike in the steering wheel and when you crash it impales you? That may prevent people from crashing

Blaming it on satnav is the biggest load of twaddle since "I promise I won't com....."

lozgti

Is it really a driver aid in the same category as the things you mention though? It is a device telling you where to go,nothing to do with the car's abilities

Its like this new device where the car parks itself for you....are people really that crap at parking they can't fit the car in between two others?

Certain devices are not advances....they are just things for the lazy and I reckon we really are going backwards sometimes in what people think are huge steps forward and 'must have' devices.

Getting from one place to another is not rocket science