Satnav racing

[MrDarkBlack]

The BBC is going with lead story this morning regards satnav racing.

Is this really news? I think since the beginning of (satnav) time, drivers have tried to beat the eta.

They are assuming that people try to beat the time by speeding, when local knowledge can used too. I just don't see how this story is news!

So, who does this?

[luckyg]

Me.
Earlier in the week I managed to shave off 30 mins on a 3 1/2 hour journey! and I don't drive like a lunatic either

[cossy400]

I did abit of multi drop and always played a little game of beat the sat nav. strange sense of achievement when you see the minutes dropping off the ETA,


Is that sad? P.S i didnt speed i made progress

[balders118]

If you make good progress at the posted limites you will always beat the ETA on a sat nav, especially on single carrige way NSL roads.

I saw this on the news this morning before I went to work and I thought it was an totally ludicrous story (if you can even call it that!). The people being interview seemed to think that "satnav racing" was almost a sport played by irresponsible hooligans on the road.

I can say I will often try and beat the ETA on my tomtom, but by the complete opposite driving style described by the BBC. I try and be smooth, progressive and maintain a constant speed (at the speed limit). Tailgaiting and lane changing doesn't save you time anyway. I've got to say I was pretty suprised and dissapointed with the BBC that they would run such a BS story.

Edited by balders118 on Saturday 20th August 08:57

[MrDarkBlack]

^^ Agreed! I wouldn't call it racing at all, but this grabs peoples attention.

[bazking69]

BBC scraping the barrel as usual, possibly because they've got wind of one accident related to it.

[Phil Dicky]

What a complete and utter load of un news worthy bks

[davepoth]

bus pass said:

Have they linked sat-nav racing to man made global warming or Conservative led goverment cuts yet?

It does waste fuel...

[Fish981]

My Sat Nav changes the ETA depending on how I've been driving for the last few journeys. It could get very messy if I continually tried to beat it.

[DCS01]

Interesting to see on the film clip, that they had two 'young looking' lads in an S class using a tom tom ?

[Shotgun Rider]

According to the Telegraph 7 million people have admitted to doing this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/8669301/Millio...

What a bullst article.

[attym3]

-46mins is my best, Maidenhead to S.Wales

Mark

[balders118]

TheTelegraph said:

But the devices give a minimum time to reach a given destination assuming the motorist travels at the maximum permitted speed along the suggested route. Beating the time, therefore, invariably means breaking the law.

Really? Has this chap ever used a satnav. Normal driving condtions will usually beat a satnav ETA as they're very conservative.

[danposs86]

Anyone got a link to the BBC news item?

Also used to try and beat my ETA in a van when doing multidrops, I had a handicap though as the trackers alerted my managers if I exceeded the speed limit or braked too harshly, so smooth and flowing driving was key.

[stemll]

Been to Rome and back and to Luxembourg and back this year (as well as around the UK) and so far been pretty much spot on regardless of whether driving at the limit or below because of traffic.

Guess the IQ routes bit of the latest TomToms really does reflect actual, achievable speeds on the route chosen at the time of travel.

[blank]

Oxford to Bedford was the best route for this game.

Sat nav always thought A43 then M1 was the best way.

Going through Milton Keynes could lead to beating Thomas Tom by half an hour plus...

[OldSkoolRS]

My old Acer PDA Sat Nav was pretty poor at calculating the ETA so a 4 hours journey would often be ETA'd at maybe 5 1/2- 6 hours as I think it based motorways on a 55mph average. On a long trip with good traffic it wasn't hard to beat that.

However, my newer Garmin Sat Nav seems very accurate, so I don't know if it monitors your typical speed in different speed limits (I neve speed knowingly in 30 & 40 limits, but tend to go a fraction over 70 on motorways for example). Therefore I doubt it's worth even trying to beat it.

Pretty pointless story by the BBC though IMHO.

[Maximum bobs]

MrDarkBlack said:

The BBC is going with lead story this morning regards satnav racing.

Is this really news? I think since the beginning of (satnav) time, drivers have tried to beat the eta.

They are assuming that people try to beat the time by speeding, when local knowledge can used too. I just don't see how this story is news!

I agree it's not news & was definitely the beeb scraping the bottom of the barrel.

I did however have a little chuckle when it happened. I was waiting for it, I was expecting it, then bang it happened & there he was.... Quentin bloody Willson. Is there anything car related that man isn't a bona fide expert on.

Edited by Maximum bobs on Saturday 20th August 15:04

[Shaw Tarse]

Maximum bobs said:

I agree it's not news & was definitely the beeb scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

I did however have a little chuckle when it happened. I was waiting for it, I was expecting it, then bang it happened & there he was.... Quentin bloody Willson. Is there anything car related that man isn't a bona fide expert on.

Must not mention haircut!

[Maximum bobs]

Shaw Tarse said:

Must not mention haircut!

In all fairness to Mr. Wilson though he was actually talking sense & I did agree with him. He was addressing the average driver, one that maybe doesn't do more than a couple of long journeys a year, & in a nutshell he was saying that people should check their routes before setting off maybe with an on line site like the RAC or similar & above all they should buy a map & take it with them. He was also saying that it's far to easy to totally rely on a crap nav when they are far from infallible & that people should make a back up plan including a map.

I couldn't have agreed, with most of what he was saying, more.