In safety terms what is the difference between mobile phones and sat navs?

BillScarab

big_gay_kirk wrote: »

IIRC (and I may be wrong..) it is illegal in this country to have something with a screen fitted in a car where the driver can see it and be distracted.... so no tvs, dvd players, etc in the front of a car.... and that could apply to sat navs.....

I don't know about that. I'm sure it's' illegal to fit a TV where it can be seen whilst driving but lots of cars have large touch screen displays for Sat Navs and stereos as standard. I'm sure the manufacturers would have looked into the legality of it before fitting them.

terryya

IMO Sat Navs are no worse than road signs, and on the whole give you a lot more notice of turnings etc. and you never get a lorry in the way!

You can't compare them to phones in terms of distraction. You can tell the amount of concentration it takes to hold a conversation by the amount of times you temporarily stop talking to a passenger whilst negotiating junctions and roundabouts etc. At least with a fellow passenger they know why and stop talking but with mobiles the other person doesn't so you get lots of "can you still here me?"

Markyt

redux wrote: »

On a motorway with no exits for 15 or 20 km, why do some of the cars I overtake at night have the picture still on bright, and so zoomed in that the road width takes up nearly 20% of the screen width and nothing else at all is visible?

It makes it an interesting challenge. Dial the satnav in as close as you can get, and navigate turns and bends by that alone without looking out of the windscreen. Literally seconds of fun!

horace_2

Nex0 wrote: »

Maybe you should stop holding your sat nav to the side of your head then and start using it properly.

Thank you NexO for your considered input.

Perhaps you would kindly explain why it is necessary to have both verbal and visual instructions, surely someone of your intellect would only require one?

horace.

Markyt

horace wrote: »

Thank you NexO for your considered input.

Perhaps you would kindly explain why it is necessary to have both verbal and visual instructions, surely someone of your intellect would only require one?

The makers obviously put both in so their units can be used by both deaf and blind drivers.

terryya

Markyt wrote: »

The makers obviously put both in so their units can be used by both deaf and blind drivers.

Can a guide dog program in a fiddly post code? :rolleyes:

big_gay_kirk

BillScarab wrote: »

I don't know about that. I'm sure it's' illegal to fit a TV where it can be seen whilst driving but lots of cars have large touch screen displays for Sat Navs and stereos as standard. I'm sure the manufacturers would have looked into the legality of it before fitting them.

legality never bothered bmw when they fitted twin headlamps to some of their vehicles, where when on dip beam the outside lamp extinguishes.. this is legal on the continent, but illegal over here.... and i've seen cars offered for sale with dvd players mounted in the front.... and several vehicles on todays roads have illegal brake lamps fitted as standard... most of these laws are almost unenforcable, and the manufacturers know this....

Nilrem

IIRC for a DVD player to be legal when fitted in the front, it has to either be in a position where the driver cannot see it (so passenger side for example), or have a cut out so that when the car is in gear the display at least goes dead.
If the police see one that doesn't do that, then they can and will charge for driving without due care and attention (IIRC that's the general one*), careless, or even dangerous driving depending on the circumstances.

It's also worth noting that as a general rule with modern cars, as long as they are complying with the EU standards they will be legal on the UK roads even if the fittings wouldn't necessarily be legal directly under UK legislation (I think it applies to cars sold/registered in the other EU countries, and is meant to make it easier to apply the rules when you are driving in another country - so EU standard is the minimum).

The traffic cops normally know this, and if in doubt can get specially trained officers or VOSA officials in if there is any doubt when they pull a vehicle



*And can cover anything from eating a marsbar at the wheel, to programming sat nav whilst the vehicle is in motion, to shaving/applying make up

Brooker_Dave

horace wrote: »

Is just a matter of time before we see newspaper headlines screaming

`DRIVER USING SAT NAV KILLS xyz` ?

I think sat navs are just as dangerous as motorists using hand held phones.

horace

Phones are safe, it's just another way of raking in more tax.

I've always been able to do two things at once, I'm sure I'm not unique.

Happychappy

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Phones are safe, it's just another way of raking in more tax.

I've always been able to do two things at once, I'm sure I'm not unique.

They walk amongst us :rolleyes: