Crackpot GPS Directions

Morba · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:32

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/4879026.stm

Interestingly some GPS systems seem to thing that anyone going to Crackpot should jump off a cliff!

Just shows that you need to be careful of what its telling you!!

Rotty · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:35

mine once told me to "turn left then make a U turn and then take the first left"

so that will be straight on then ?

Morba · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:36

i hate it when im driving along a motorway and it tells me 'In 5 miles go straight on'. What point is there in that! Its not even at junctions :/

Sp00n · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:46

Morba said:
i hate it when im driving along a motorway and it tells me 'In 5 miles go straight on'. What point is there in that! Its not even at junctions :/

Road not split in to 2?

Morba · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:46

nope :/

Firestar_3x · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:47

Sp00n said:
Road not split in to 2?

Thats what i usually get, says keep left or keep right its cause the motorway splits into two roads.

What system do you use Morba?

iv-tecman · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:54

I just feel that Sat Nav is for those who can’t read a map, or can read a map and can’t remember what they read. You can’t read a map when driving. So you need to read the map, and remember what you’ve seen.

Proves they are not always right, I always read the map first, jotting down in my mind key roads and take it from there. In 14 years of driving, I’ve never been hopelessly lost.

Mate had one of these sat navs when he was driving around Leeds. Damn thing drove me nuts, and I nearly punched the screen in. I turned it off, and then gave him directions from what I’d remembered. We hadn’t been to Leeds for nearly two years, but I still remembered the way to the offices we were looking for by going there two years ago.

To say, he was pretty impressed, but even if I’d not known or remembered the way, I’d have used a map and found it just the same, and with less hassle then those sat nav jobbies..

Firestar_3x · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:58

Take me 10 seconds to bang a postcode into the GPS, mine works without fault, if the road is closed or has traffice / crash on it the gps will auto redirect, if i go wrong it will re route, something you can't do unless you can store the whole AA road atlas in your head.

Scottland · 5 Apr 2006 at 14:59

iv-tecman said:
I just feel that Sat Nav is for those who can’t read a map, or can read a map and can’t remember what they read. You can’t read a map when driving. So you need to read the map, and remember what you’ve seen.

Proves they are not always right, I always read the map first, jotting down in my mind key roads and take it from there. In 14 years of driving, I’ve never been hopelessly lost.

Mate had one of these sat navs when he was driving around Leeds. Damn thing drove me nuts, and I nearly punched the screen in. I turned it off, and then gave him directions from what I’d remembered. We hadn’t been to Leeds for nearly two years, but I still remembered the way to the offices we were looking for by going there two years ago.

To say, he was pretty impressed, but even if I’d not known or remembered the way, I’d have used a map and found it just the same, and with less hassle then those sat nav jobbies..

I agree to an extent. I'd always consult a map before setting off somewhere I didn't know the way to. But they can be handy to look up where you are, how long until the next confirmation.

I'd never rely on one, but handy as a bit of confirmation and back up.

Luke · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:16

I've had a couple of dodgy instructions from Tomtom. From Westerham to get on to the M25, it suggests that you drive up a works access track which then dumps you on the hard shoulder! I crapped myself the first time it happened!

Coming off the A1 at Blyth, it suggests you go cross country and drive across a field!

All GPS instructions should be taken with a pinch of salt. Unfortunately, the public aren't assumed to have the brain power to work that out...

Dr Who · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:19

Rotty said:
mine once told me to "turn left then make a U turn and then take the first left"

so that will be straight on then ?

Not if you do the u turn to the right...

Which is what tom tom tells you on the 8 shaped roundabout j15 of the m1

iv-tecman · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:23

Yep. Sat nav is a gimmick, and one that just seems to promote your car being broke into as well, as many leave their headunits on display. Even the ones who take the head unit of the dash, if you have the ones that use suction pads to stick to the base of your windscreen, the thieves just see the marks it leaves and break in hoping to find it in your glovebox.

As for telling you about road works. Most of the time, if you use AA online to plan your route, it’ll tell you, and just carry a map with you. When you are stuck in the jams just consult with it to find another route. It’s what I always do…

£500 - £1000 saved to me, £3.99 to WHSmith for a AA road map.

And if you trust a gimmick to help you find your way - well this is why they sell isn't it..!! LOL Nah, not for me, and those who got caught out by this news article, idiots..!!

Firestar_3x · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:27

Saying its a gimmick is a little strong i feel, in my eyes its a usefull bit of kit, consulting the AA roadwatch thing is all fine and well, but a crash happens in a split second so as soon as you leave the door its out of date, if you have a expensive gps system Such as myself you can tune it into the TCM which updates all the time rather than tom tom relying on using your mobile.

Also with a proper system you don't run the risk of breakings since you don't stick anything to your windscreen.

Serj · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:29

iv-tecman said:
I just feel that Sat Nav is for those who can’t read a map, or can read a map and can’t remember what they read. You can’t read a map when driving. So you need to read the map, and remember what you’ve seen.

I disagree. It would take longer to write down a few simple steps on a bit of paper than it would to whack in a postcode on TomTom. Also, if you're looking for somewhere in a town you've never been to before, how are you supposed to remember all the turns?

This morning, i drove to Fareham. Never been there before in my life but i drove 40 miles straight to my destination. This afternoon, i drove to Salisbury. I haven't been there since i was about 5 or 6. I drove the 20 odd miles, negotiated the 1 way system and arrived at my destination with no bother at all.

Could i have written all this down? Probably. Could i have navigated myself the whole way without taking my eyes off the road or pulling over to read instructions? No way. I had a lovely drive in the sun, i drove at 60mph with the sun roof and windows open without fear of my directions flying out the window.

Dogbreath · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:36

iv-tecman said:
Yep. Sat nav is a gimmick, and one that just seems to promote your car being broke into as well

Just because you don;t get along with dosen't mean it's a gimmick. And only very stupid people leave them on display to be robbed.

However, I do agree that you really should know what general direction you should be going in my looking at a map first, rather than replying 100% on a SatNav system. That said maps have limitations that GPS doesn't. For starters, if you have to make a detour due to a jam etc. you don't have to stop and look at a map. Secondly...have you ever seen a road map that has full post code search on it? Does your map warn you of speed cameras, or tell you (as you are driving along) where to find the nearest petrol station/eatery etc. and the distance to it?

iv-tecman · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:41

Serj said:
I disagree. It would take longer to write down a few simple steps on a bit of paper than it would to whack in a postcode on TomTom. Also, if you're looking for somewhere in a town you've never been to before, how are you supposed to remember all the turns?

This morning, i drove to Fareham. Never been there before in my life but i drove 40 miles straight to my destination. This afternoon, i drove to Salisbury. I haven't been there since i was about 5 or 6. I drove the 20 odd miles, negotiated the 1 way system and arrived at my destination with no bother at all.

Could i have written all this down? Probably. Could i have navigated myself the whole way without taking my eyes off the road or pulling over to read instructions? No way. I had a lovely drive in the sun, i drove at 60mph with the sun roof and windows open without fear of my directions flying out the window.

Ah, the defiant retort of those who entrust gimmicks and technology. I’ve been brought up to read maps, and read maps I shall. I have never been totally lost, OK I will admit I have had to pull over and study a map, on more then one occasion, and granted I might take a few wrong turns. But I’ve never been in totally the wrong area, district or wrong town.

I don’t see the point, whereas you do. That’s fine. I’ll save my money by using a map, and taking a few additional turns, but in the end, I’ll still get there and I do it without sat nav. I actually like to try and remember getting to places I’ve not visited for a long time. It exercises my mind, and keeps me alert. The way we’re going, we will all become slaves in our cars, as the sat nav plots to take over the world by directing us all of the nearest cliff..!!

You know, we used to get to places before without gimmicks. It’s why they put up road signs. They’re not just for tourists..

Firestar_3x · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:43

Its called progress my friend, most people embrace it others are affraid, its ok to be scared

Serj · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:45

iv-tecman said:
Ah, the defiant retort of those who entrust gimmicks and technology.

*snip*

Fair enough, if you want to faff about with maps then by all means go ahead. So is it all about trust then? You wouldn't trust GPS because you think it's going to send you off a cliff or something? So would you never allow your self to use cruise control in case you couldn't turn it off? Or never use Air Conditioning for fear it would turn you into an ice cube when it stays on?

How old are you btw? You sound a bit like my mum when she first had a mobile phone.....

Dogbreath · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:46

iv-tecman said:
You know, we used to get to places before without gimmicks. It’s why they put up road signs. They’re not just for tourists..

Ahh, but is that the reply of a technophobe who is afraid to move into the twenty first century?

Even though this country generaly is well signed, sometimes they are not where they are needed, and you can drive miles before you find a sign that tells you that you didn't take the correct turning after all. And this raises another bonus of SatNav, driving on the continent where the signing is usualy nowhere near as good as the UK is made an awfull lot more stress free.

iv-tecman · 5 Apr 2006 at 15:46

Dogbreath said:
Just because you don;t get along with dosen't mean it's a gimmick. And only very stupid people leave them on display to be robbed.

However, I do agree that you really should know what general direction you should be going in my looking at a map first, rather than replying 100% on a SatNav system. That said maps have limitations that GPS doesn't. For starters, if you have to make a detour due to a jam etc. you don't have to stop and look at a map. Secondly...have you ever seen a road map that has full post code search on it? Does your map warn you of speed cameras, or tell you (as you are driving along) where to find the nearest petrol station/eatery etc. and the distance to it?

My latest AA maps have most of this... Sorry, it's not that I do not get along with them, I just feel they’re a bit like a calculator. Once we used to jot up our totals in our heads. Now we can’t even add up our shopping correctly. We just have a load of barcodes that mean nothing.. and getting overcharged at the till, as we entrust the checkouts and EPOS system.

Soon, students will take in their sat navs to help them pass a geography test. No one will be able to get anywhere, unless some tarty voice tells them where to go, unless your married, then this is the norm..!!

I’m fighting a loosing battle here. You lot can have your sat navs.. I’ll use my map, it’s progression I guess. If it does help the ones who can’t read a map, or prevents someone reading a map when driving, then I’ll have to relent, and agree they do have some usage..