Sat nav's are for the desperately lost, a map is best?

Question

Got one for 'free':-

http://www.axa-sunlife.co.uk/guaranteed_over_50_plan/asld/welcomegifts.html

First time Ive used one, went 100miles north and back on a route I have known for years.Followed the satnav and it took twice the time,what a load of nonsense.

Answer 1

If you're looking for a particular address in an unfamiliar city, a good sat-nav is worth its weight in gold, but I don't use it on longer routes where there is decent signposting.

Answer 2

Both are good at certain aspects. I can read a map easily, but the Tomtom is great at street level deatil. If I am travelling somewhere I don't know, I work the route out on a map, but use the Tomtom for the last bit, where it is difficult to pull in to look at  a map. Used together they are fine, but don't rely on the satnav too much. Also, no need to be offensive, if I want to use satnav, it does not make me a p...ck.

Answer 3

I can map read and also use sat nav for convenience

gps is not fool proof as many people find out and there have been a few good examples in the past,

sat nav makes  lorry driving that little bit simpler and safer  easier to keep eyes on the road and suroundings not stopping to look at map every few minutes

when used correctly sat nav is a good tool and if it was given away free there is probably a good reason for it being free

Answer 4

Used as a local streetmap guide then it's OK. If you're daft enough to go where you know you ought not to then learn to map read. I was taught that at infant school!

Answer 5

Only cheap, useless sat nav is full of errors....and only an idiot would drive up one way street 'because it said so'.  It is easy to use and set for 'shortest route' / 'fastest route' etc.

maps are fine, but useless for street level mapping in unfamiliar areas at speed...or for driving unfamiliar roads at a reasonable speed and you can see all the turns coming up, and long straights available for overtaking...

embrace the technology!

Answer 6

Anyone who uses satnav is a p**ck

Answer 7

You have seen firsthand what can happen when new technology that is not meant for the casual driver alone...GPS on board makes our vehicle a crew-served machine...One to drive, one to navigate.

The first rule of driving is to know where you are going...The second rule is to know how to get there - before you start out...There are paper road maps, map books plus the computer...Google Earth (free download) gives excellent views of streets and highways...Use these tools to map out your route, call your destination if possible to find out landmarks or reference points, like a pub on the corner...Know the name of the street before and after your destination...That way you shouldn't drive too far before you realize you missed your stop...Prepare ahead of time and you won't have to worry about listening to machine telling you where to go.

All the best from a Yank

Answer 8

I agree.  I learnt how to read maps at school, and in fact I love maps.  Younger friends use Sat Nav with some serious consequences.  Sat Nav will (for example) direct you to a bridge which has not yet been built ... It will direct you to a narrow cul-de-sac (lorry drivers have found this) ... It will direct you to a road, then to a lane, then to a dirt track, etc and you end up getting totally lost.

I don't want to say that they never work, but I travel a lot, and I use maps.  Always.

Answer 9

the only people that hate GPS are people that dont no how to use it

Answer 10

I agree! I have used a sat nav once and I hated it!

Good old maps do just as well. The problem is people just dont know how to read maps anymore.

Answer 11

A map is better, it gives you a picture of your route and you can see the town names etc, to look for on the signposts.

I tend to try to remember the next two hours of route and then stop to look at the map again.

Many Sat navs have old or error ridden maps.

I use both, but I get a much better sense of where I am when using the map.

The satnav is great for the last few miles, provided you have entered your destination correctly.