Will it never end? Satnav clampdown

Will it never end? Satnav clampdown

Author
Discussion

derestrictor

18,764 posts

263 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
Personally, i believe sat-nav is a major contribution to road safety, but this country really does have a problem with technology and the acceptance of it, IMO.
Absolutely.

Someone above referred to the point that taking in extrenal direction signage was possibly more deflecting of the task of watching the road anead, around and behind than a dash mounted nav unit and this seems irrefutable logic.

We are dealing with a nannyism redolent of some Orwellianly accelerated Whitehousedom.


IRM

2,205 posts

223 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
IRM said:
http://www.dashmount.co.uk/march03/71195.htm

Hmmm. scratchchin
http://www.dashmount.co.uk/april06/711031.htm

biggrin


Glassman

22,665 posts

217 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
bluepolarbear said:
MOT failure for leaving the bracket in place.
What about a tax disc that is not in the bottom left corner?

Darth Paul

1,654 posts

220 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
I got one of these as soon as I got my sat nav a few years back. Mainly because I thought the springy suction thing, well, sucked!


Find it's in the perfect position without obscuring vision, looks relatively factory, and doesn't bounce about.

Heebeegeetee

28,922 posts

250 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
Darth Paul said:
I got one of these as soon as I got my sat nav a few years back. Mainly because I thought the springy suction thing, well, sucked!


Find it's in the perfect position without obscuring vision, looks relatively factory, and doesn't bounce about.
I've used something like that myself, but don't you find that this type of mounting requires more of a turn of the head to read the sat-nav?

Darth Paul

1,654 posts

220 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
Darth Paul said:
I got one of these as soon as I got my sat nav a few years back. Mainly because I thought the springy suction thing, well, sucked!

Find it's in the perfect position without obscuring vision, looks relatively factory, and doesn't bounce about.
I've used something like that myself, but don't you find that this type of mounting requires more of a turn of the head to read the sat-nav?
TBH I've got the speech setup to announce the next turn at 1 mile, 1/2 mile and just ahead, so I very rarely need to look at the screen. Give it a quick glance every now and again to see how many miles are left, and I don't really find it any worse than checking the nearside mirror. I do wish sometimes that I had bought the wired version as it can get a bit annoying have to unplug and remove it all when stopping for lunch, etc.

Boosted LS1

21,190 posts

262 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
I used a satnav once and found it very distracting. The speech part didn't always match the road ahead and I found myself having to look at the satnav screen to see where I should be going. It was quite disconcerting when in a town environment on a roundabout with cars around me.

Clearly competant drivers can choose how and when to use them but I'd suggest a great many units are bought by incompetant drivers of which there seem to be plenty these days. I give you the type who can't read a map in the first place or the type who can't read a street sign because their vision is so poor.

They may have their place but not in everybody's car.

cptsideways

13,576 posts

254 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
quotequote all
Oh well back to the old map on the lap system then, never caused me any issues before & I became quite deft at it :rolleys:

I see plenty of satnavs plonked right in the middle of the screen, in fact I'd go as far to say 50% of them are like it. Legislation because of stupidity is it really necessary.

Stupidity at any level should = Remove license & issue a bus pass

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

257 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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You couldn't make this up, more stupid knee jerk reactions from stupid people. I honestly think there must be a Ministry of Motorist Persecution that spends all day thinking up ever more ridiculous ways of penalising drivers.

Perhaps they could catch people between sweeps of the wipers when it's raining?

Edited by Mr2Mike on Saturday 6th October 19:12

philbes

4,401 posts

236 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.

Heebeegeetee

28,922 posts

250 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
philbes said:
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.
From my experience the voice directions are often completely wrong and cannot be relied on.

Tafia

2,658 posts

250 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
philbes said:
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.
From my experience the voice directions are often completely wrong and cannot be relied on.
Snooper Indago is fine with the voice of "Jane".

bryan35

1,906 posts

243 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
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i'd better remove my sat nav, the rear view mirror, the weather seals, and the tax disk

Heebeegeetee

28,922 posts

250 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
bryan35 said:
i'd better remove my sat nav, the rear view mirror, the weather seals, and the tax disk
Yeah thats a point, my rear mirror is definitely in the swept area, and a little boy could run out in front of me while i'm looking in it.

hugoagogo

23,378 posts

235 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
bryan35 said:
i'd better remove my sat nav, the rear view mirror, the weather seals, and the tax disk
Yeah thats a point, my rear mirror is definitely in the swept area, and a little boy could run out in front of me while i'm looking in it.
funnily enough, you do notice people who have their mirrors really low or really near to the driver (ones that adjust on both ends of the stalk kinda thing)

the sat nav thing though, i have noticed this for ages, people having it mounted at eye level just under the mirror, ensuring that anything smaller than a double decker approaching from the side disappears from view
say if you're approaching a roundabout, your speed can be synchronised such that cars can remain wholly in this huge blind spot all the way until you hit them

combined with massive thick A-pillars and the aforementioned knick-knacks, these feckers need sorting

Deva Link

26,934 posts

247 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
hugoagogo said:
Heebeegeetee said:
bryan35 said:
i'd better remove my sat nav, the rear view mirror, the weather seals, and the tax disk
Yeah thats a point, my rear mirror is definitely in the swept area, and a little boy could run out in front of me while i'm looking in it.
funnily enough, you do notice people who have their mirrors really low or really near to the driver (ones that adjust on both ends of the stalk kinda thing)

the sat nav thing though, i have noticed this for ages, people having it mounted at eye level just under the mirror, ensuring that anything smaller than a double decker approaching from the side disappears from view
say if you're approaching a roundabout, your speed can be synchronised such that cars can remain wholly in this huge blind spot all the way until you hit them

combined with massive thick A-pillars and the aforementioned knick-knacks, these feckers need sorting
Maybe this is the amswer:
http://uk.gizmodo.com/2006/08/28/vdo_dayton_ms5700...

henrycrun

2,456 posts

242 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
philbes said:
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.
From my experience the voice directions are often completely wrong and cannot be relied on.
Audio Only is the way to go. What system is it BTW ?

Edited by henrycrun on Sunday 7th October 16:19

Heebeegeetee

28,922 posts

250 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
henrycrun said:
Heebeegeetee said:
philbes said:
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.
From my experience the voice directions are often completely wrong and cannot be relied on.
Audio Only is the way to go. What system is it BTW ?
Only used Tom Toms, so far.

philbes

4,401 posts

236 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
henrycrun said:
Heebeegeetee said:
philbes said:
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.
From my experience the voice directions are often completely wrong and cannot be relied on.
Audio Only is the way to go. What system is it BTW ?

Edited by henrycrun on Sunday 7th October 16:19
My system is the Miotech 269 (now 2 years old and replaced by later models). In the 2 years it has only given me wrong verbal directions half a dozen times and they were so obviously wrong that I just ignored them, carried on and the unit corrected itself with the next direction. The female voice is a little annoying though. My wife christened her 'Rhoda' although I wanted 'Janet' (from Janet STREET-Porter!)

Darth Paul

1,654 posts

220 months

Sunday 7th October 2007
quotequote all
Heebeegeetee said:
henrycrun said:
Heebeegeetee said:
philbes said:
When driving alone I have the sat-nav low down on the central console completely out of my sight and I just rely on the voice directions. If the wife is with me then the sat-nav is mounted on the passanger side window so the screen is below the top of the dash - in her view but not distracting to me.

I think that in a town looking at the screen for directions must distract the driver's attention from the road to a dangerous degree.
From my experience the voice directions are often completely wrong and cannot be relied on.
Audio Only is the way to go. What system is it BTW ?
Only used Tom Toms, so far.
That's your problem I think. IMHO I don't like Tom Tom at all, tried it for a while and couldn't get on with it. I've got Copilot on a PDA, and although it initially had a few bugs these seem to have been sorted and it's worked fine all over UK and France.