Mandatory IQ tests for satnav users?

[mr_cellophane]

I either use an atlas or the wife. The wife is OK, but occasionally she falls asleep and needs a reboot.

 

[Landslide]

A fine and 6 points later and he's still whining!

I'm extremely disappointed. I was using the satnav properly but users should be made more aware they should only use them as a guide," he said. "I still use mine. It's the only time it's ever let me down.

Ha!

 

[Arch]

"The majority of young drivers now rely almost entirely on satnavs for directions, according to a survey this week. "

Gawd help us all!

 

[Black Sheep]

"The majority of young drivers now rely almost entirely on satnavs for directions, according to a survey this week. "

Gawd help us all!

both my wife and I rely on sign posts and guess work,

I've used this tactic to get through central london - was aiming for tower bridge and got blackfriars bridge instead, but I did find the A1

the wife also relys on my ability to read road maps while being told "i've come off the motorway and joining the A 24something or other"

somehow it works

 

[BigSteev]

"The majority of young drivers now rely almost entirely on satnavs for directions, according to a survey this week. "

Gawd help us all!

Indeed. I've used one once when I had to drive to a wedding in someone else's car and they had no maps. Hated it. Refused to have it on on the way home after and will never have one in my car. I prefer to concentrate on the road.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

"And the christening party peanut, who hitherto had blurred
my conception of Man as Nature's final word,
ran fleeing from the lava, his Satnav pleading thus:
"I'm not from round here mate, you should've got the bus.""

I can't stand the things.

 

[Arch]

I have to say, I've used one once and found it helpful - in France. I'd tried to navigate, alone, with the map, but I had a lot of trouble keeping a succession of village names in my head - I assume because they were French and therefore less familiar than the usual English "Nether Bottom" type.

Ideally I'd prefer to work the route out ahead, and have a crib sheet of directions to glance at when necessary. I found the satnav screen a touch too hypnotic.

 

[marinyork]

I find satnavs helpful for the itinerary and data in the same way I find cycle computers (without GPS) useful. For day to day directions, not really.

 

[bonj2]

who could forget this twat:

 

[ColinJ]

On many local bridleways there were already signs banning motor vehicles but people were ignoring them so locals have taken to adding hand-written signs to press the point home. Those signs get ignored too!

I walked down this steep narrow rocky bridleway a couple of weeks ago (picture taken last winter)...

... and there were fresh car tyre tracks on it!

 

[mr_cellophane]

"The majority of young drivers now rely almost entirely on satnavs for directions, according to a survey this week. "

Gawd help us all!

Do kids get taught how to read a map at school ?

How many drivers do you see with the Sat Nav at eye level in the centre of the windscreen. No wonder so many pass close to cyclists.

 

[Arch]

Do kids get taught how to read a map at school ?

Probably not, but then I don't think I did either, I just learned how from experience. Actually, I don't remember learning how except for some specifics about OS grid references and contours. Map reading just seems obvious to me, the trickiest thing is learning the key.

 

[ufkacbln]

Actually it is all the fault of the Ordnance Survey!

Their data forms much of the information that these systems use.

The problem is that the data is altered as the SatNav is less detailed. As part ofthis the roads are "realigned" - all yellow and white tracks along with som BOATs become one road type on the SatNav, whereas the OS allows you to distinguish the vast variety of roads covered, SatNav makes them all passable and usable!

 

[GrasB]

If it looks wrong, it probably is. You can do stupid things with maps to, fords that are deeper due to rain, roads that are barely passible with 4x4s but marked as unclassified roads on the map etc.

Personally I have mine in map top-view mode & turn the sound off most of the time, I'm glancing at it for place names as a target then go by the road signs. I've had a fair few pax be astounded that I've completely ignored the sat nav. I even had someone completely ignore a perfect standing half donut in the lotus & comment that the sat-nav said we should go down that road... not with 135mm ground clearance you don't

 

[bonj2]

Actually it is all the fault of the Ordnance Survey!

Their data forms much of the information that these systems use.

The problem is that the data is altered as the SatNav is less detailed. As part ofthis the roads are "realigned" - all yellow and white tracks along with som BOATs become one road type on the SatNav, whereas the OS allows you to distinguish the vast variety of roads covered, SatNav makes them all passable and usable!

i thought it was navteq or teleatlas?