The Times October 16, 2006
Can sat-nav negotiate Whitehall maze? By Sam Coates, Political Correspondent THEY have tried to send drivers over cliffs, through rivers and into ditches. Now satellite navigation devices are about to find an altogether greater obstacle: the Government.
The Department for Transport is concerned that sat-nav equipment - used by four million Britons - is sending too many vehicles down inappropriate roads. Manufacturers may be forced to take action to prevent this happening. Some models may even be banned if they are deemed too distracting. The RAC Foundation has given warning that the rapid growth of the devices, which alert drivers about traffic jams, may result in thousands of motorists being simultaneously advised to leave main roads and continue their journeys on unsuitable routes, causing gridlock on country lanes and in villages.
Can satnav negotiate Whitehall maze 772In uk.rec.gps, nospam belched forth and ejected the following: I hate to say this but yes. When in a very unfamiliar place where you don't know which lane to be...
The Department for Transport is consulting manufacturers, motoring groups and safety organisations on the best way to overhaul the system.
Its paper, called In-Vehicle Information Systems Consultation, states: "There is a definite need to change the status quo, either through increased regulation or a deregulatory approach."
"The key general considerations include: ensuring the human-machine interface of the device is not unduly distracting and ensuring the routing algorithms favour the most appropriate roads."
In September, DfT figures on the causes of accidents revealed 32 per cent were caused by a failure to look properly.
Road-safety campaigners claimed that satellite navigation devices were a cause of this. A recent survey that found 14 per cent of all drivers now never use a road map. ======================================================================== Is this a goer? Or is this just more control-freakery from a control- freak government?
Will sat-nav manufacturers based outside the UK be willing to change their GPS mapping software just for the (relatively) limited UK market?
The only gripe I have with my Navman 520 is its tendency to try to send me down underpbuttes that I can't go under in my high-roof van... -- Mr X
