Satnav summit

“With the potential for a significant shake-up of road designation as each county changes routes according to local priorities, a dislocated network and on-going changes could create a nightmare for satnav firms trying to get their mapping right. The cost of downloading update after update means that most drivers won’t be up to speed on routes that highway authorities want them to use,” says Edmund King, the AA’s President.

Some local authorities are nervous about implementing the new powers to designate their own routes, because they don’t know if their primary routes will link with what neighbouring areas are doing.

Satnav horror stories

We do hear satnav horror stories with headlines such as 'Sat-Nav directed me into path of train','Satnav’s latest short cut..through a cottage' or 'Satnav got truck stuck in tunnel'.

However, these are few and far between.  If a satnav is used in conjunction with a good atlas and common sense, then they can enhance safety and reduce journey times.

But common sense is important, for instance someone thought she was being taken to a Chelsea game  at Stamford Bridge by taxi but ended up 230 miles away in rural village of Stamford Bridge near York.

Like all things in life we need to embrace technology but not lose our common sense.  Hence a quick glance at a map prior to your journey will give you a good indication of your right direction.  Following a dirt track because the sat nav says turn left is plainly stupid.

You're the driver

Beware because sat navs can get you into trouble with the law.  A driver, relying on satnav equipment rather than reading traffic signs informing him there was a 3 tonne weight restriction ahead, has been prosecuted by North Avon Magistrates. 
They can also keep you out of trouble with the law by reminding you of the speed limit or the presence of cameras.

Signs

Winchester City Council has become the first in the UK to put up 'Do not follow sat-nav' signs near a road often used as a cut-through.  Apparently, drivers follow GPS instructions to turn into the shortcut, but get stuck part way down the lane when the road narrows.

Despite these concerns, the AA welcomes the summit as an opportunity for a popular everyday technology to become as efficient as possible in getting drivers from A to B, cutting journey times and congestion, saving fuel and reducing CO2.

Satnav or atlas

The need to get it right is illustrated by an AA / Populus survey of 16,850 AA members in June 2011.  It also shows how many people still rely on an atlas but don’t always have the latest edition. 

The survey found:

• A third (35%) of respondents say they carry a satnav in their car (or have one in-built). Men are more likely to have a satnav (40% vs. 27% of women), as are younger respondents (52% of those aged 18-24 vs. 28% of those aged over 65). Two fifths (39%) of respondents say they do not have a sat-nav.
• The majority of respondents (67%) carry an atlas in their or take one with them on unfamiliar journeys, while one in ten (11%) never carries an atlas. Older respondents are much more likely to carry an atlas, with 70% of 55-64 year olds and 77% of those over 65 always carrying one, compared to half (48%) of those aged 18-24.
• Of those who do carry an atlas, over a quarter (28%) carry a current atlas, with older respondents more likely to do this (36% of those over 65 vs. 19% of those aged 18-24). A fifth (21%) of those who always carry an atlas say they have an out of date edition.
• Three fifths (59%) of respondents have lost their way in the last year, with one in ten (9%) having done so in the last week. Women are more likely to have lost their way than men (69% vs. 54% of men), and younger people are much more likely to have lost their way than older people (82% of 18-24 year olds vs. 46% of those over 65).

(2 February 2012)