Last night on the BBC London television news there was a report on the distraction of drivers due to sat nav messages. Part of the report included information from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
A test car was driven in London using information from the sat nav. The face of the driver was videoed to see where the eyes were pointing and for how long.
During the drive the sat nav ordered the driver to turn right into a road which was blocked for roadworks. As he continued on the main road he was then instructed to U-turn, even though the road showed U-turns were banned.
Frequently the driver looked at the sat nav for directions, rather than at the road, including a period of 15 seconds. This is the problem that could cause accidents.
Are we looking at a new potential risk for an accident? I personally do not have sat nav and have no intention of getting it either, so what do users think.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Also messages such as "Continue Straight on" when you are approaching traffic lights, if you distracted you could keep going straight on even on red. Regards Peter
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Personally I think it's safer than an AtoZ and scribbled notes etc, If my journey is planned in advance i dont use the sat-nav till i am almost there as i will check the route i am going to travel in advance. so i know the names of villages i should be passing through or heading towards. Just like having the radio on, it's only a voice, it really isn't that distracting...cheers...Keo.
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I am not sure that you could put down using sat nav as an excuse for going through a red light just because it said continue straight on. Common sense would override, and if it did not, perhaps those people should not be on the road.
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I think you have to take it with a pinch of salt. Is it any different from your wife/partner sat next to you reading out directions and trying to show you on the map?
Just because someone says continue straight doesn't mean you should disobey the road-if you do you shouldn't have passed your driving test.
I think anything that allows you to concentrate more on the road than having to keep having a shufty at a map on the seat next to you is a bonus.
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I have sat nav in all the cars - it is fair to say that I have been overly distracted by it at times.
This is usually the result of trying to look at traffic details, trying to program address details or generally faffing with it.
However, its my own dumb fault, I don't do it now, and it is certainly not as distracting as balancing an A-Z on my knee. It is potentially less distracting than not having one since if ti tells me to turn right in 200 yards, I tend to have lots of time to make that turn rather than seeing the road name at the last second and going for it.
Also, if you would go through a red light because it told you to go straight on, I do hope nobody ever programs "drive off a cliff" into yours just for a laugh.
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I'd agree with NoFM2R - when I do get overly distracted by the sat nav (PDA/tomtom) it's my own fault - i.e. generally faffing with it. I used to do this a lot when I initially got it but now just set it and leave alone unless I need to divert. (As I've become more familiar and customised it, the need to fiddle with it has reduced too.)
I recently came back from France, where I don't drive very often and the sat nav was an absolute godsend. Last time when I didn't have it, I'd try and look up directions, traffic signs etc. and all the while trying to concentrate on driving on the "right" side. It was a bit of a nightmare to say the least.
This time it was a breeze, the sat nav would tell me where I needed to go well in advance, which left to to fully concentrate on the driving bit.
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If I see that the driver in front/behind has sat nav I simply add it to my list of things to look for when I'm weighing up if he's an idiot or not. He may be distracted by it, he may be driving home from Halfords with it for the first time and be staring at it lovingly.
It may be also switched off but I tend to err on the side of caution and assume that sat nav = a bit less of the driver's brain being focussed on the task in hand.
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As a young driver (21) who has sat nav, after a week or so of usage, I'd hardly look at the PDA after setting up my route.
The only times I do look at it now is to just check again which roundabout exit on the screen - that takes all of a split second to confirm. And the odd glance of the time and how many miles left.
TomTom, whilst usually quite good on roundabouts can send you into dead ends with its vocal descriptions when its drawing something different on screen.
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I have no experience of sat nav (although I'm tempted now that prices have dropped) but I find there's nothing more distracting than being hopelessly lost in a strange town. It's this situation that's most likely to cause me to make a mistake that could cause an accident.
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Can't speak for everyone else, but my SatNav uses the car audio to tell me the next direction - so I don't need to look at the screen.
The only distraction then is setting or adjusting routes on the move - is that any worse than the stereo, naggging partners or bored kids?
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is that any worse than the stereo, naggging partners or bored kids?
I think we are closer to the real problem here. It's not whether you have got the latest bit of techy stuff inside the car, it's how the driver copes with the distraction. Many people can make phone calls, light cigarettes, operate satnav systems or talk to the kids without becoming a danger to themselves and those around them. Equally, many others will become dangerous just talking to their passenger(s). There will always be distractions, high-tech and low-tech; it's how the driver copes with them that counts. I like my phone-based satnav and I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages; I've even used it on the motor bike, using voice prompts only, to good effect.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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If you insist on setting the satnav, radio, telephone, texts etc while on the move then it is going to distract - but you don't, do you? (being sensible backroomers)
If going somewhere new with high volume of traffic (ie across an unfamiliar red route part of London)then Satnav is great, especially without a mapreader beside you - you concentrate on the road not your directions. Actually, especially with a map reader as it doesn't say "Turn left, turn left" having just got you into the right hand lane and certainly hasn't sulked once when I have not followed her instructions. Downside is mine seems to be based on the AA route finder so is not always the best way. Having said that it showed me a brilliant way out of Salisbury which saved a jam and saved about four miles! Duh to many years using the signposted directions.
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Most delivery drivers and minicab drivers use Satnav these days.
I can't say that I've noticed any deterioration in driving standards due to the use of Satnav.
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Are they anymore distracting than having her indoors giving you directions and having the radio on and also the kid screaming in the back of the car "are we there yet?" Talking on your mobile (Mine through Handsfree bluetooth). I dont think so...use your common sense at the end of the day with a SatNav system.
I have occasionally been directed the wrong way down a one-way street, but I still have two eyes and know what a no entry sign looks like.
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Are they anymore distracting than peering myopically at ill maintained road signs..?
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I was sold on Satnav when a few years ago I had to pick up a friend from the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris, I was driving in from the suburbs alone.
My Mercedes Comand satnav was absolutely superb in directing me there. I dread to imagine finding it on my own, with all those one-way streets, odd junctions and Parisien drivers.
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Are they anymore distracting than having her indoors giving you directions>>
My first and only sat-nav device - lasted 40 years so far, but still won't wear out so I can get a new one...:-)
Seen some parts of the UK as a result that I would never have been fortunate enough to find on my own...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Drive eighteen times round a town or use satnav... No choice, really, is there.
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I find that using Sat Nav makes a trip to unknown areas a lot less stressfull, sure, you have to be aware that it may route you incorrectly, one ways, road closures, roadworks etc, but then, so could using a map.
And if you do miss a turning, it re-routes you....
I'm all in favour of em......
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