Sat-nav systems cause accidents: study

[04redxr8]

I am not a fan of GPS units myself. I did have one for about 3 months, and i just never really liked it.

Having said that, I feel the only reason that people are having accidents because of GPS units, is because they are simply useless. (The drivers, not the GPS). When I had a GPS, I found that it gave me plenty of notice about upcoming turns. It gave me plenty of time to plan my lane changes.

The only reason to look at the screen that I can think of is that the stereo may be up too loud to hear the directions. Can't see that as a GPS problem.

I put it down to a general dumbing down of society. Instead of raising the bar, we are progressively lowering it so that no one fails. Except for when they have accidents.

It is interesting to note that in the article, the Authorities measure how much time is spent looking at the GPS. I wonder if they have ever bothered to study how much time is spent looking at speedo's in speed camera locations.

It is about time we stopped blaming devices as distractions. People cause accidents. Not phones, not GPS's, but people.

[Ben73]

I rarly use my GPS but when I have used it it has never caused any problems. You can just listen to it for the directions. Just take a quick glance if need be.
People who blame GPS for crashes are simply imcompedent drivers.

[sudszy]

The study cited, hardly seems conclusive:


According to a recent police study, GPS satellite navigation systems have caused a spike in road accidents due to drivers paying attention to the guidance rather than the road. The study says GPS devices distract drivers in a similar way to mobile phones.


“In recent times, we have seen crashes and near misses involving drivers who rely only on the information provided by their GPS device,” Mr Hartley said.


In a recent test, a range of drivers were studied during the course of a 35km trip that involved the use of a GPS. The drivers were noted as looking at the device up to 90 times for an average time of 1.2 seconds. Some drivers have been known to pay a lot more attention to the device than that.

we have so far three possible reasons as to why they cause problems:

driver's brains are occupied with the audible message being given

drivers are following directions that are simply and obviously wrong, turning off a bridge etc

drivers are looking at a screen rather than the road.

The research so far seems half baked, perhaps there is some merit in all of them, I wouldnt discount any of them. There is a lot of mutterings from people here how they are perfectly safe?.....perhaps, but there are a lot of people who need to be convinced that having a hands free mobile conversation while driving is dangerous too.

personally, i have no experience of using them nor have I been in a car where one was being used, I await further findings.

[RAREV8]

Originally Posted by sudszy

The study cited, hardly seems conclusive:


According to a recent police study, GPS satellite navigation systems have caused a spike in road accidents due to drivers paying attention to the guidance rather than the road. The study says GPS devices distract drivers in a similar way to mobile phones.


“In recent times, we have seen crashes and near misses involving drivers who rely only on the information provided by their GPS device,” Mr Hartley said.


In a recent test, a range of drivers were studied during the course of a 35km trip that involved the use of a GPS. The drivers were noted as looking at the device up to 90 times for an average time of 1.2 seconds. Some drivers have been known to pay a lot more attention to the device than that.

we have so far three possible reasons as to why they cause problems:

driver's brains are occupied with the audible message being given

drivers are following directions that are simply and obviously wrong, turning off a bridge etc

drivers are looking at a screen rather than the road.

The research so far seems half baked, perhaps there is some merit in all of them, I wouldnt discount any of them. There is a lot of mutterings from people here how they are perfectly safe?.....perhaps, but there are a lot of people who need to be convinced that having a hands free mobile conversation while driving is dangerous too.

personally, i have no experience of using them nor have I been in a car where one was being used, I await further findings.

Its interesting- I suppose there would be some merit in them becoming a distraction as is a hands free device because you simply aren't putting all your attention towards driving and driving only...............however, there seem to be plenty of drivers who, without additional distractions still find it difficult to drive properly!

I guess that its a mixture of the driver themselves, the ability to use any devices whilst driving as safely as possible (technically, a radio or music player is a distraction) and not relying on the instructions of the GPS explicitly.
Mine is always on but I only glance at it occasionally, usually when it indicates an imminent lane change, exit or something of significance. I know my wife struggles with the concept of distance as i did until i got used to it- if the GPS says "turn right in 500m" she will often assume to take the very next turn that comes up- its quite a natural phenomenon but this is probably because she only uses it on rare occasions.....like anything, once the user understands the products and gets used to it, they become easier to use. A little common sense should always prevail though!

[Falc'man]

I had a fight the other time with "Karen"... she prompted me to turn right on Baker st in 350m. She did the same thing with 50m to go, and then with 10m to go. I had to stop at the lights, but then she had to say it for what seemed like the 20th time.

"Turn left on Baker st!"

I thought... you **** **** why don't you **** ***** baker **** St **** ***** You **** ****** I heard you already.

That's when she proposed.

[ltd]

GPS's aren't going to make a bad driver better. They have the opposite affect. The reason is, a bad driver doesn't realise that driving slow and impeding traffic flow (like doing 20 in a 60 zone) is only going to annoy people. What they should do is pull into a side street and check from there.

Another thing, people mounting GPS's in their line of vision such as the centre of the windscreen should be outlawed as a public menace. Put the bloody things near the A-Pillar so they're right in the drivers normal peripheral vision and looking at the bugger doesn't require ones eyesight to deviate too much from where the driver normally looks.
I see professional drivers (truck drivers etc) with them in this place and have figured out why.
Also, can anyone tell me why these things in the middle of windscreens always seem to be attached to Camrys?

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by GT-0733

the best navigation system i've got sits on my left and punches me in the arm if i miss a turn i've had her for 15 years and never been let down or had an accident

You got the good one then, I need a refund. My nav unit confuses left with right, thinks "turn right now, oh you missed it" is adequate warning and basically could not navigate her way out of a wet paper bag.

She has given up though and now uses "paramedic nav", me (and my trusty sat nav).

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Danny

Yeah I think I know the model. It's the TomTom W1f3. It's fairly complicated to use and You cannot turn the volume down.

I think I know that model, is it the same one that only tells you one place to go if you forget the date you bought it? Ive heard some variants go silent instead and another that tells you if you dont know well Im not going to tell you when you type in an address.

Originally Posted by geckoGT

You got the good one then, I need a refund. My nav unit confuses left with right, thinks "turn right now, oh you missed it" is adequate warning and basically could not navigate her way out of a wet paper bag.

Ah yeah, the old "no, not that left, your other left".

[RAREV8]

Originally Posted by fmc351

I think I know that model, is it the same one that only tells you one place to go if you forget the date you bought it? Ive heard some variants go silent instead and another that tells you if you dont know well Im not going to tell you when you type in an address.


Ah yeah, the old "no, not that left, your other left".

I had one of these prior to the Garmin and the main issue was that if i chose to ignore its selected route, it would respond with an instruction to do with travelling and reproduction

[SSD-85]

I cant stand Sat-navs. Give me a Refidex any day. The idea/theory/fact of them causing accidents hardly surprises me.

[rabbit4ever]

I hate sat nav's too, work out where you are going before you leave.

[RAREV8]

Originally Posted by rabbit4ever

I hate sat nav's too, work out where you are going before you leave.

That comment is a little shortsighted- clearly you do not do a job that involves considerable mileage to a million different locations or have the need for a GPS at all........you may dislike them for whatever reason and thats fair enough but some of us a) need them and b) can actually use them properly.

[brismike]

Some interesting comments on this so far. I have just returned from a 3.5 month trip to Europe where I drove 14,000 k's in a Peugeot 3008 lease car. (It was a gutless POS (1.6 litre diesel) but it got us around quite cheaply)

It had a built in SatNav but we never used it for Navigation. It was used purely as a tool to overview where we were. It was able to zoom right out so you could see the next town coming up or where the next servo or rest bay was etc. In this regard it was very useful. In a strange city if you zoomed in to the detail you could see where a side street might be a good way out of a tricky situation when you were stuck in traffic.

For actual Navigation I took my trusty TomTom, set up with the latest Europe Map and Safety cam locations etc. I am very familiar with how it works and this is an invaluable tool to find your way to a destination in unfamiliar places.

I never just blindly told it to calculate a route to a destination but always checked where it would take me before we set off. Especially the roads that would be used nearer the destination.

You can even simulate routes in the comfort of your hotel room on the night before you leave to make sure you know what to expect.

You have to program them to suit what you want them to do for you . . Sometimes the shortest route might not be the best .. other times it is acceptable. On the other hand fastest route might take you on some expensive Toll Roads which you might want to avoid. You need to do your homework.

Overall I have found they are very useful tools when used properly. If you just blindly told one to navigate somewhere without checking where it might take you you could be in for some surprises, especially where the mapping companies are not keeping up with new roads or are just very slack in mapping roads that have been there for years.

This is where TomTom has it over the other devices because you have the ability to update the map yourself and upload corrections you have made and download corrections that many others have made.

I have been on driving holidays in Europe quite a few times now and I remember the pre-SatNav days when my wife had to navigate with a roadmap/atlas. She was a nervous wreck and so was I. At least now she can relax and enjoy the scenery while "Kate" does the nagging lol.

[railtrolley]

I've been a courier for about 5 years now, and get around with a street directory only. I was going to get a sat nav when I started, but never got around to buying one. My ute has a 2 way radio and a PDA for delivery allocations, which is distracting enough.

A sat nav night be handy for deliveries to new housing estates. The curving streets and T junctions, which aren't actually the end of the street you are on - make navigating them confusing.

[mr smith]

Originally Posted by FgNewbie

I'm often bewildered where GPS units get mounted.

I saw a taxi yesterday with the GPS dead bang in front of the driver's line of vision. Scarey.

If I need to use my GPS, I check a map first. These days I tend to leave the GPS on the console and listen to voice instructions only and pull over if necessary. (One trip I was told to turn left into a one way street... the wrong way).

Technology is a great tool if used wisely... otherwise I'm sure it could be deadly :(

I have seen the same thing, units mounted right in the centre of the windscreen!!

Ive tried them and dont like'm. Melways for me.

[FgNewbie]

An 87 year old refers to my GPS as my "girlfriend".
I position it where he can best enjoy it.
He really gets a kick out of it.

[Olbucko]

Originally Posted by RAREV8

That comment is a little shortsighted- clearly you do not do a job that involves considerable mileage to a million different locations or have the need for a GPS at all........you may dislike them for whatever reason and thats fair enough but some of us a) need them and b) can actually use them properly.

So true, also getting your directions from a sat nav is so much safer than trying to read the steet directory as you drive, hard enough during the day, almost impossible at night, and in peak hour Sydney, pulling over for a look at the map is often not possible.

[nstg8a]

ive got an olde navman (f10 i think) base model, was probably out dated when i got 3 years ago. but 95% of the time it gets it right, and imo is far safer than blindly driving round trying to figure out where to go.

driving round a city might be easy for the ones that have done it for years, but when the biggest city youve driven in is chch then brisbane gets confusing as a hat full of confusing things.

i tend to keep an eye on the visual directions on the gps more than the auddible ones, but that could be because the f10 is quite a quiet gps compared to newer ones.

i keep meaning to update, particularly now i have my bike, but i need to find one that will do both car and bike ok.

[Fiesta God]

Refuse to use one ...

Look at a map for 5 minutes before I leave home and memorise the route ... or if that fails have the map open on my lap and read as I'm driving ...

Much prefer map reading.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Fiesta God

Refuse to use one ...

Look at a map for 5 minutes before I leave home and memorise the route ... or if that fails have the map open on my lap and read as I'm driving ...

Much prefer map reading.

I know a lot of people would do the above but IMO that is a lot more dangerous.
I use my GPS occasionally I dont find it distracting at all

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Fiesta God

Refuse to use one ...

Look at a map for 5 minutes before I leave home and memorise the route ... or if that fails have the map open on my lap and read as I'm driving ...

Much prefer map reading.

memorising the route is fine if its a simple route... but if its complicated and your having to rely on looking down at your lap to double check where your going that would be far more dangerous than a gps imho.

[JC]

It's not the SatNav systems - it's the drivers. Just because GPS tells you to turn right, doesn't mean you don't need to check traffic etc to make sure it's clear to follow the instruction. I'd say anyone who has a crash because they followed GPS instructions should be banned from driving forever.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by JC

It's not the SatNav systems - it's the drivers. Just because GPS tells you to turn right, doesn't mean you don't need to check traffic etc to make sure it's clear to follow the instruction. I'd say anyone who has a crash because they followed GPS instructions should be banned from driving forever.

I think it comes with a lot of devices in the car, it's a distraction that some people let themselves be distracted with. Unfortunately teaching the public that being distracted is the most dangerous thing then operating a motor vehicle is not really done.

[Scooter79rs]

Originally Posted by ltd

Another thing, people mounting GPS's in their line of vision such as the centre of the windscreen should be outlawed as a public menace. Put the bloody things near the A-Pillar so they're right in the drivers normal peripheral vision and looking at the bugger doesn't require ones eyesight to deviate too much from where the driver normally looks.
I see professional drivers (truck drivers etc) with them in this place and have figured out why.
Also, can anyone tell me why these things in the middle of windscreens always seem to be attached to Camrys?

I've mounted my GPS right next to the A pillar, I can see but it doesn't block my vision. My GPS spends 99% of the time in map mode not actually giving me directions, I can check if the street I need is coming up before I get there without needing to take my attention completely away from the road, a quick glance is all I need.

[AndrewR_AUII]

Use mine a few times a month on average.
Mine is mounted at the top of the centre dash (where the clock is on the AU), so easily visible but not directly line of sight.

When I do use it, listen to the voices but if a 'tricky' intersection or a few streets close together, a quick glance at the screen tells me exactly what it means. Yes, it has asked me sometimes to go down one-way streets or taken strange routes.. but you just ignore it and let it work out another way around.

Back to the OP, its not so much the device but how it is being used.