Technology driving us round the bend

Aug 6 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Many of us have had reason to be grateful for a sat nav ... but an increasing number have had cause to curse this “aid” to navigation. ANDREW BALDWIN reports

AN INCREASING number of us have done it – relied on our satellite navigation system and got hopelessly lost or confused.

Now it has been officially confirmed that this appliance of science can be a bad thing if we don’t watch out.

Road experts are warning that drivers are putting their lives at risk by blindly following instructions from sat navs.

The gizmo has caused more than a third of users uncertainty or confusion, with 2% saying it led them directly into an accident or near miss.

More than a quarter of drivers said the system had tried to make them go through a no-entry sign or somewhere vehicles were prohibited, according to the Direct Line survey of 2,000 motorists.

One in ten drivers said following directions from a sat nav had caused them to make an illegal turn and one fifth said they had been led to the wrong place.

Campaigners fear that the system could put lives in danger if drivers slavishly follow the directions and ignore their own judgement.

Katie Shephard, head of corporate liaison at Huddersfield-based road safety charity Brake, said: “We have some very serious concerns about sat navs which give on-screen instructions or pictures for the driver to follow.

“This is because there is a danger that the driver will concentrate on looking at the sat nav rather than the road.

“I’d urge anyone considering buying a sat nav to consider if they can use it and still be safe on the road.”

Last month van driver Graham Foster, 21, received a suspended jail term for causing a train crash after claiming his sat nav misguided him on to the Newcastle-Carlisle rail line.

An express with 45 passengers smashed into his delivery van in Bardon Mill, Northumberland, but no-one was hurt.

In March a foreign driver using the gadget got his 40ft articulated lorry totally jammed at an impossible right turn on to Church Street in Longwood.

Roads were snarled up for hours in the second incident of its kind in six months at the same spot.

The first time the lorry was freed, but then got stuck in Golcar a few minutes later.

It was an extreme example of a problem which has affected towns and villages throughout the Huddersfield area.

People living in the Magdale area of Honley are among those who have complained about drivers using sat-nav systems getting stuck.

Pc Peter Doyle, of Huddersfield traffic police, said: “We often have to deal with problems caused by sat navs as they do not give the height of bridges nor how narrow roads get.”

The 14 million people who rely on the devices make up more than half of Britain’s drivers.

The survey of users also showed:

26% said the system had tried to make them go through a no-entry sign or somewhere vehicles were prohibited;

21% had been taken to the wrong place, while 19% said it caused them to dawdle or hesitate on a busy road;

18% said sat navs had reduced their awareness of what was going on around them, while 10% had made a dangerous, late or illegal turn;

7% said sat navs had caused them to be late because of an unrealistically short journey time.

Maggie Game, head of motor insurance for Direct Line, said: “Motorists need to realise that while sat navs are a helpful navigation tool, drivers should not follow their instructions to the detriment of road safety. If a sat nav system gives you an instruction which is likely to endanger other road users, you should ignore it.

“Sat navs are designed to make driving easier and safer. However, they will only do this if you take the time to learn how to properly use a system and understand the benefits of the technology.”

Rules for sat nav

1 You’re driving, not the sat nav. You can’t blame the sat nav if you commit an offence or have an accident. It’s your fault.

2 What you see must take priority over what the sat nav says. If the road looks wrong, don’t take it. People have been marooned in fords, driven into rivers and down railways because their sat nav told them to.

3 You know what you’re driving, the sat nav probably doesn’t. If you have a large vehicle, or a trailer, you can’t be sure that the road is suitable for you just because the sat nav tells you to go down it. Watch for signs.

4 Watch the road – not the sat nav. A sat nav can give all sorts of information about where you are going, much of which you don’t need.

5 Put the sat nav in a sensible place. It should be in your line of sight, but should not create a blind spot. Put it where it won’t injure anyone in an accident.

6 Don’t try to programme the sat nav while driving. You know it will take one hand from the wheel, two eyes from the road and a brain from driving. Pull over to adjust settings.

7 Use all the sat nav’s features. On a complicated, busy roundabout, it is unwise to take your eyes off the road to look at the sat nav, and much better to receive spoken instructions. Some have features which show you a simple diagram of the road ahead and only need a quick glance.

8 Check the route is practical before you start. Is the sat nav taking you to the right Farnborough? Hampshire, Warwickshire or Kent? If you put in the wrong destination, it will take you to the wrong destination. Does the route look right?

9 Update the sat nav regularly. It needs to know about new roads, new one way systems and generally keep itself up to date.

10 Remember, thieves like sat navs too. If it’s detachable, always take it out when you leave the car. Thieves know that when people remove them they tend to keep them in the car, so mounts or suction cap marks also attract thieves. (courtesy AA)