GPS rant......

I have TomTom installed on my smartphone which is stuck to the screen, in the middle, so when I take calls with the integrated bluetooth I can see who the caller is.

Also remember that TomTom can provide live traffic updates to the driver and suggest alternate routes so as to save them time when driving....



<edited to sound a lot less sarcastic>

But the middle of the screen, not in the right hand corner?

I know a couple of people like that, my mate had been living in London for about 6 months and despite regular trips back to home, still used his sat nav for both the 'there' and 'back' trips.

My ex was the same, after 2 years at uni she still used hers to get home and then get back again.

I'm all for technology, and they're handy when you're somewhere new, but after a brief free trial of software on my phone I've gone back to a print out of google maps, twinned with an atlas. That way I pay much more attention to where I'm going and only need the directions for the first one or two trips, after that I know the way.

I think that if all you know is "turn left" rather than learning "turn left onto Smith Street, which is about half a mile up the main road, just opposite the car dealership, and a 30 second drive down from the top of the hill" then you'll end up relying on the sat nav because you never really pay attention to where you're going.


That said, I'd still like one for my bike :oops:

I use my tomtom, even though I know where I'm going, just to remind me where the speed cameras are.

Very helpful when I'm on the phone, and not paying attention to the road, but the againg I don't see any cyclist on the A12 doing 50, so that makes it alright!

Legally, they shouldn't be in the middle of the Windscreen:

The Road Traffic Act's Construction and Use regulations say:

"the satellite navigation unit must not be located anywhere within the sweep of the windscreen wipers or anywhere else that would cause obstruction to the clear vision of the driver"

I find it very difficult to read people's TomToms if they are stuck in the middle of the windscreen... so selfish

gtvlusso wrote:

snooks wrote:

I use my tomtom, even though I know where I'm going, just to remind me where the speed cameras are.

Very helpful when I'm on the phone, and not paying attention to the road, but the againg I don't see any cyclist on the A12 doing 50, so that makes it alright!

Ah - did not think about speed cameras! Although, you'd figure that people would know after doing the same route everyday!

I found a foolproof way of avoiding the speed cameras, I drive at or below the speed limit

:roll:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

hence spend more time worrying about your speed than the road conditions or obstacles....

What obstac.... Oh!

Actually maintaining a constant speed is not really that difficult and I find that a constant round of visual checks - in front, behind, speed (repeat) helps me stay more alert on longer drives.

I've damned myself doubly now and will probably have an accident whilst speeding next time I drive, gah!

Absolutely - and as I implied, I am not always below the speed limit, but certainly within spitting distance thereof and hopefully driving safely.

Satnavs are just disempowering too:-
I have followed them to places and had no idea where I was, if I try the same journey with a map I generally have some idea of how to get home afterwards.

I like the opaque HUD reference

bails87 wrote:

But the middle of the screen, not in the right hand corner?

I think it is far safer to have the GPS in the middle of the screen where you can look around it. There is fairly little risk of not seeing a (close by) bike behind it. The A-pillars of modern cars are quite big (due to airbags) and these blind spots can be pretty dangerous. Putting a GPS against them, increasing the blind spot even further doesn't seem like a good idea to me.