Is Sat Nav a vital accessory?

[del320]

On our wanderings in the Borders today I came across this genuine Borders Council sign. Never seen one before.



I was reminded that a recent AA survey found most motorists - and especially older drivers - still prefer printed maps to sat navs when planning car journeys.

I can appreciate that for commercial/business drivers they are a crucial tool but, of course, my driving is entirely leisure. I therefore have no wish or use for one.

There are numerous tales of those who rely solely on this technology finding themselves in either completely the wrong location or on inappropriate roads for their vehicles.

Would anyone here care to admit they have slavishly followed their sat nav's instructions - and finished up somewhere they shouldn't have?

 

[developer]

For an unfamiliar journey of any distance I take an AA Route Planner set of directions along for the ride.

There's no doubt, some satnav directions can be bizarre.

The ability to adjust around hold ups can be useful though.

 

[kalvin928]

couldn't do without it.... I have so many itinerary routes saved on my tomtom and its helped sooo much with short cuts.... even one through supermarket car park in Bounds Green.... haven't looked at map for a long while, you do hear of cases where people slavishly adhere to all instructions, but you do need to use a bit of common sense as well

 

[Dieselman]

Would anyone here care to admit they have slavishly followed their sat nav's instructions - and finished up somewhere they shouldn't have?

I followed mine which took me down a rapidly deteriorating road, culminating in a field track.

Still, I ploughed on and it got me to where I needed to be after some entertaining rally driving.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

I use mine on new to me, unknown journeys, but always carry a road atlas as well. Like most things it's a matter of common sense with these things at times. If something doesn't look right I ignore the sat nav directions and it then recalculates the route, or I use the 'find alternative route' option.

I once printed off a route using the RAC Routemaster, only to realise that within the first half mile of leaving home it was directing me down a dirt track which was impassible to vehicles. I did report it and it was subsequently corrected.

 

[Fryingpan78]

I don't use it. Old school I'm afraid, A to Z for London, atlas or now google for the rest.

I spent about 5 years (pre sat nav) flying to random countries, jumping in a car with a map and just driving to where I needed to be. China being the most alarming. Land, do your Chinese driving test while your mates drink coffee, pass, hire a car.....

It got me used to properly planning my journey before I set out I guess - old habits die hard.

-t

 

[Piff]

I use sat nav for the journey but prefer to look at a map first.

Ref the sign in post 1, we have similar here. Main route into village is a country lane from nearest dual carriageway and goes under an 8' railway bridge. Years ago, when the railways were built, there was a cart track provided up & over the railway line. This cart track is totally overgrown and inaccessible.
However, it must be marked on the maps the satnav companies use and therefore is a railway crossing not a low bridge.
Despite the signs "do not follow satnav" all the lorrys end up trying to turn in the lane!

 

[stevieb15]

Map until the last few miles, sat nav thereafter

 

[Charles Morgan]

My first car to have a built in one, the now hopelessly rubbish CD based BMW one, took me down an ever worsening track into a field. The road I was meant to join was visible 100 yards away across a ploughed field, unfortunately there was a fence stopping me trying to join it.

The key thing to note is that a true sat nav user won't even read the signs.

I am going to have to live without mine later in the week, as I will be taking my SM across to Holland, and will have to find a friend's house in Antwerp in the dark without it as the cigar lighter isn't working. If I don't manage to upgrade the lights by then I'll be literally in the dark too - gosh they are hopeless.

 

[blue gnome123]

I use the satnav primarily for live traffic updates. Managed to skirt round a M25 jam yesterday as it happened at the end of my frequent 160mile commute, which was great when getting close to home.

 

[tonysmb]

you do hear of cases where people slavishly adhere to all instructions, but you do need to use a bit of common sense as well

Common sense??? I thought that was outlawed ages ago, we can't have motorists thinking for themselves can we

 

[mct_cars]

Most of the time , Sat Nav is a real stress reliever. Negotiating the Paris pheripherique to get to Spain, getting up to date TMC updates on traffic, getting to new locations with the aid of a Postcode and half an idea where you are, etc.

However it's not perfect - there's pedestrian road under a bridge in Reading near the Microsoft campus that my Sat Nav was determined to take me through. I had to go well out of the way to get it to re-programme the route!

 

[baxlin]

Would anyone here care to admit they have slavishly followed their sat nav's instructions - and finished up somewhere they shouldn't have?

Yes, but only when I had entered the wrong postcode...........................:fail

 

[artyman]

My Nav20 has some funny ideas about routes, when I have followed it's instructions rather than following my common sense. I don't allow it to rule me, but they are useful for finding addresses in strange towns, or do I mean unfamiliar towns

 

[E55BOF]

Stevie B hit it on the head; a satnav is invaluable for the last mile or two when going somewhere you've never been, and for rerouting on the move to get round traffic jams, but an atlas is fine otherwise. And it doesn't need a power supply....

 

[boxbrownie]

Sat nav is great, an always open map right in front of you always on the correct page. Navigating in the UK is pretty much easy, you must know which way you need to be pointing basically and where "Watford" is.......unless of course you have never, ever looked at a paper map of the UK before (maybe schools do not have UK maps anymore?).
The sat nav is handy once you get close to find individual roads, like having a local in the passenger seat. Use it like a wife navigating next to you, don't rely on it alone, use your noddle!

Abroad is different.......comes in very handy then.

 

[del320]

Navigating in the UK is pretty much easy, you must know which way you need to be pointing basically and where "Watford" is.......unless of course you have never, ever looked at a paper map of the UK before (maybe schools do not have UK maps anymore?).

The sat nav is handy once you get close to find individual roads, like having a local in the passenger seat. Use it like a wife navigating next to you, don't rely on it alone, use your noddle!

I well remember the time in France cruising on the quiet back roads heading for our Gite. Whilst SWMBO sat with the large-scale Michelin on her knees giving me directions, the evening sun shone warmly on the side of my face.

After half-an-hour I sensed we did not seem to be making much progress and I notinced the evening sun was now shining warmly on the side of Mrs del's face...

Nowadays, I find my destination on Google, then follow and memorise the route from a significant landmark or main road on Street View.

I'm a sucker for maps anyway, having a small collection of antique ones - Blau, Collins etc - to old Ordnance Survey, Bartholomews and Johnston - great for finding old railway lines!

 

[BlueQuinn]

Although it sometimes steers me wrong, such as when I'm on a fairly new bypass and it thinks I'm in the field next to it and keeps trying to tell me to turn right, I found my Garmin invaluable for three main reasons when going anywhere new.

Firstly is my wife's map-reading and direction finding ability was incompatible with mine. Approaching a junction and repeatedly calling out "do I go left or right here?" only to me met with "You need to head towards [insert village name]" used to do my head in.

Secondly is the warning of speed limits, cameras and whatnot - It's not always up to date, but usually is. This was really invaluable in France, where speed limits are not posted all the time, but are implied by village signs for example, and can vary according to weather. Plus having my sat-nav tell me the limit in MPH (and a more accurate reading of my speed) was a real life-saver. I rely upon my sat-nav speedo when setting the cruise to go through average speed camera stretches or setting 70mph on the motorway.

Thirdly, I have a motorcycle sat-nav, and used it on a jaunt through Normandy and Brittany. It was like seeing into the future. Before you got to a section of road you would know how bendy it was, whether there was a village, or roundabout, etc, and therefore how much fun you could have. You could set your entry speed before you got to the road knowing how sharp the bends would be, and you could see whether it was worth overtaking a vehicle or two so you could have uninterrupted fun on a twisty section or whether you might as well stay in the traffic. It was local knowledge by proxy.

 

[Ian_Mac]

Going back a few years now whilst driving through Nottingham the Nav wanted me to turn left at the next junction.

It was only as I sat waiting at the lights a Tram went by I realised it was now part of the new tramway. :-o

 

[johnsco]

The Tom Tom has occasionally taken us some very bizarre routes.
In the main, it's useful, if used intelligently.
Particularly good for getting in and out of unfamiliar town centres when you don't have time to scratch your head over a map..