More on SatNavs

Via Leg Iron, this rather stupid story about righteous fuckwits trying to blame satellite navigation for road traffic incidents.

Fears that sat-nav devices may pose a risk to motorists follow research which showed that 78 per cent of crashes were caused by driver inattention.

Now psychologists at Lancaster University and Royal Holloway, University of London are to examine what they described as the “potentially dangerous effects of ‘SAT NAV’ in-car navigation systems.”

Um, bollocks, frankly – although the righteous keep telling us that accidents are caused by driving fast. I do wish they would make their minds up. Although, to be fair, “minds” is probably over-stating it.

I’ve been using satnavs since the days when I hitched my Psion Series 5 to a Garmin hand held GPS. I had to pull over to do it, but it was a useful aid to map reading. I could find out quickly where I was on the map. The handlebar mounted systems that came next were a real boon. Reading a map on a motorcycle is a pain. A rolling map and voice prompts means that I can concentrate on the road without having to waste attention on navigation. So, if anything, the technology makes my ride or drive easier and, frankly, safer.

…now researchers want to examine the impact of other sources of distraction including sat-nav systems which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Why? There is no need for such research. The SatNav is a really useful tool for those of us out on the road all day who have to find new places on a regular basis. I don’t need any research to tell me that it makes my life easier – I already know this. I certainly don’t need any research to tell me that it could potentially be a source of distraction if I started fiddling about with it while driving. I have common sense. That tells me all I need to know.

In the study, researchers will analyse how drivers handle the information they receive from sat-nav systems and how they respond to it.

Sigh… When the system tells me that I need to turn left in half a mile, I look for the junction and then turn left when I get there. I can do this without losing my concentration on the road. Indeed, having a voice prompt rather than have to look for road signs that might no be there or find somewhere to pull over and look at a map, means that I can do so more efficiently. I can fucking multi-task, after all.

“If we see any worsening of attention or memory performance while people are carrying out the navigation task, this might indicate that the navigation system imposes demands on the participant which could be dangerously distracting”, said Polly Dalton, one of the researchers involved in the project.

Oh, for fuck’s sake! And if one has a passenger reading a map giving directions? Jesus, H Christ on a pogo stick! Have these people nothing better to do? Don’t answer that – rhetorical question. As LI points out, we can see where this is going. The bansturbators are looking for their next target. Just when technology has produced something that I find really useful and makes my daily drive that much easier, these bastards think it is within their brief to take it away.

“By the end of these experiments, we will be able to provide clear measurements of the ways in which the use of in-car navigation systems might interfere with attention and memory performance.”

It doesn’t. What happens is that my attention is on the road. If a situation develops that requires more concentration, I forget the SatNav – realising that I have mentally switched it off after the situation has passed. That’s how the human brain operates – it prioritises.

It is estimate that around 14 million drivers now use satellite navigation systems and in 2008 a poll of 2,000 motorists showed that one in five had made them hesitate on a busy road.

I’ve been using them for a decade now and not once has it made me hesitate. In fact, the opposite is true. I am more positive, knowing exactly which junction I want.

According to the same survey, carried out by Direct Line insurance, one driver in 50 said sat-nav had either caused or nearly caused an accident.

Nope.

Sat-nav systems have also been held responsible for drivers suddenly swerving or turning.

Nope. Sometimes, the system cannot keep up with complex road junctions – or, more accurately, I make a mistake or see the junction I want just a little too late. I simply carry on, ignoring the voice prompts knowing that the system will reroute. That’s the beauty of automatic routing – taking a wrong turn just isn’t an issue.

However a spokesman for Tomtom, one of the market leaders in sat -nav devices, denied the technology was distracting drivers.

“We have had two pieces of independent research which show that satellite navigation aids driving behaviour.”

“The evidence is that people feel more in control, concentrate on the business of driving and are less stressed.”

Quite. My experience echos that of Tom Tom. And, I’m really enjoying getting to know my new Garmin 1690. Jolly good, it is, too.

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Please… If you are itching to hit the keyboard with a drive-by comment telling me that you can read a map, so don’t need a SatNav, kindly resist the temptation. I’m really not interested.