Satnavs.

[GHT]

Just to make an emphatic point, I hate satnavs. They have a computerised, synthesised, microwaved, annoying voice. (I've never heard one of those famous celebrity voice ones.) Imagine having Clarkson giving you earache every other minute!

But there have been times when, nearing the point of destination, my wife has switch the damn thing on. Here's a few howlers that it came up with.

Heading to the NAC at Stoneleigh. The italics represent the satnav's instructions.
"Exit the M42 and turn right onto the War Wick bypass. I looked over to my wife with a puzzled expression. "She hasn't learned that we pronounce Warwick as worrick yet," my wife explained. "Of course," I thought, smiling at the pronunciation. We travelled along the War Wick bypass until she told us to exit at the Strat Ford Road. "You needn't explain," I said to my wife, "I got that one." The satnav then directed us: "At the next roundabout, take the first exit, Ston Nelly Lane. This time I mouthed WTF to my wife. She was well ahead of me. "Ston Nelly Lane, you heard her," she said, smiling at my confusion. "Think about it. Ston-el-leigh." "Oh Stoneleigh," I laughed, the penny finally dropping.

On another occasion, in the city of Glasgow, satnav had instructed us to turn right. There was a temporary one way system in place, due to road works. We had to turn left. "When it's safe to do so, make a U turn," satnav instructed. I swear she gave one of those sighs that seems to say: I said turn right you stupid driver.

Have you got any satnav howlers, have you seen big trucks stuck under bridges, the driver blindly following the satnav instructions? Do you have one of those celebrity voices? Do share.

[Mitsuru]

I had John Cleese as the voice on my tom tom 5 software on my old Nokia. Much better than the yanks
version as it was John Cleese who did it(well he did have a few divorcees to pay for!). that was after I had
upgraded it to the latest version.

A few years back (when they started putting the sat nav on phones) I used one going to Central Station
Hotel in Glasgow. Only it wanted me to drive into the Clyde!! My ex was saying follow the satnav it knows
all, and my ex was the one who installed it and programmed it for the route!!!

My response was you follow it I will follow the directions I got from the police man whole you were on the
loo at the petrol station! He never like that comment

I don't call them Sat Nav, I call the PRAT Navs
As only the stupid would follow one to the letter even if it is blatently obvious the thing is putting you into
a dangerous situation

[Grumpy Northener]

Satnav's 'Work of the Devil' - but then again I drive over 40,000 miles a year and that's just the day job let alone any private jaunts - so they are a means to an end - I can recall using one many years ago around the bottom end of the M25 and had set my destination to the office just south of Guildford - bloody thing only attempted to put me on the M25 through a double gate adjacent to the hard shoulder that was there solely for the purpose of emergency services access

[kevin]

I'm with GN, means to an end for me. I do 40k plus between projects.
I do use a map for a general overview of where I am going but that's not practical when driving solo.

Kev

[JPB]

..I do use a map for a general overview of where I am going but that's not practical when driving solo.

Kev

Depends upon whether you notice the police cameras, as so-called comedian Royston "Chubby Brown" Vasey recently found out to his cost...




Not so "funny" now, are you, Chubby Brown!

[TerryG]

There is something you can do about the police cameras. have a polarised windscreen fitted, they only see rainbows then

[mr rusty]

Chubby'sgot dreadful taste in cars.....a white Lexus? No class or style at all!!

[Dave3066]

I love my sat nav. I have a Tom Tom (there are other makes of sat nav available) that's a few years old now but I keep it regularly updated. I find it an invaluable aid to navigation, but that's all it is.....an aid. Anyone who follows it blindly deserves all they get IMO. I tend to keep the volume low until I get close to my destination then turn it up. Mine has never failed to direct me to exactly where I want to go, but I don't simply rely on postcodes etc. I always check online mapping to make sure the postcode location matches exactly where the address is and if it doesn't I navigate to the specific point on the map.

The pronunciation of street names can be very funny at times though.

They have a computerised, synthesised, microwaved, annoying voice

Not sure about the microwaved voice

Dave