to think there should be a Satnav that allows you to choose the easiest, safest route (rather than just the quickest)

[ArtistBaptist]

Particularly for new or learner drivers?
This would help them to avoid the really narrow, single lane roads which might require reversing etc.

Maybe such a Satnav does already exists?

Mine gives multiple options such as quickest, most direct, fewest miles. ‘Safest’ isn’t necessarily realistic as it can be subjective, I drive a lot more country roads than motorways and always have. People need to learn to drive safely on any roads, especially new drivers

Yes!!! I will join in your campaign for this! Or just the most normal route - like it might take 3.5 minutes longer but avoids having to drive through a farmers field, a series of suburban neighbourhoods and several random country lanes when you just know there is a decent A road somewhere nearby!
Why does Google maps not have a 'slightly longer but clearly more logical' option???

YANBU

Sat Navs should also not take drivers on anything lower grade than a B road.

I say this after finding myself on various dirt roads, farm tracks, green lanes etc over the years.

If you can’t handle a range of road conditions I don’t think you should really be driving.

Google maps always gives multiple options, and you can zoom in and look which one takes you were before setting off

I dont think OP was suggesting an inability to 'handle' anything, but more seeking to ensure roads were fundamentally suited to the vehicle.

You can get satnavs for use with campervans/caravans which avoid narrow/windy routes.

But one persons ‘safe’ would be another person’s ‘dangerous’. I prefer motorway drinking to country roads. But my sister is the exact opposite!

And just to add - I live rurally and can, and do, drive on rural winding mountain roads. I can reverse up a farm track easily. That doesn't mean I always want to, especially if I know that there is a perfectly good 2 lane straight road that adds 90 seconds to my journey!

No she said suited to the driver

I would have never considered this until I was recently driving to a village I'd never been to for the first time. I know the general area and assumed I'd get there on the usual motorway / A road.

No.

Google maps took me down tiny one lane roads over hill and down dale. I was in first gear coming up some of the steep hills and there were sheep in the road. It was scary, and completely unnecessary - there was a proper main road to the village! Though the main road might have taken a minute longer I'd prefer that to going on a safari drive through the wilderness.

There really need to be an option for larger vehicles too, vans, camping cars, caravans - sometimes legal restrictions are not even shown on the Sat nav.

Fair doos, for some reason I zoomed into the bit about narrow roads etc, rather than the new driver bit.

😀😀 motorway drinking always exciting

.......when you just know there is a decent A road somewhere nearby!

So just have a road atlas in the car and plan your own route.

One person's definition of easiest and safest might not be the same as another person's.

I’d love a stick to main roads option! We went to wales a couple of years ago and it took me down a narrow country lane and I have to reverse back down the lane 5 times due to cars and tractors coming the other way! In the end I turned round to the main road and it added 3 minutes to the journey! I’d rather it had taken me that way originally than the ‘short cut’ which actually added 20 mins on with all the reversing!! Plus a lot of those country lanes are 60mph limit so the satnav thinks quicker when actually you’re lucky if you can do 30 on them!

... you can also choose to avoid motorways!
But seriously, what would be considered the safest route? For me it's the quickest preferably on motorway. But someone else might prefer slower roads stuck behind a lorry for good measure.

Easiest is so subjective though. I’ve seen comments on here from people who won’t drive on motorways, other people don’t like country lanes.
Just take 2 mins to look at the route options given, and pick the one you prefer.

I think if you're drinking on the motorway then that definitely classes as you as "dangerous" !! 😀

I drive over 400 miles a week in a car I’ve owned over 20 years so know exactly what size gap I can squeeze it through and what it’s capable of, I can more than handle narrow roads however given the choice I’d much rather go 2 miles longer and use a main road!

A huge YES to this. It drives me insane to follow a difficult route that's literally just a few minutes faster than an easier route. Not necessarily "farmers field" bad route, but through a housing or industrial estate with lots of works vehicles, school kids, parked parent cars, etc., rather than an easy main road or dual carriageway that's 2 minutes longer.

A case in point was taking our son when he moved to London. I'd never driven in London before, hadn't a clue about the road network, localities, etc. Satnav sent me through a myriad of back streets, housing estates etc. I hadn't a clue where I was. After dropping him off, I started to follow the sat nav but then spotted some road directional signs (to the M1!) which I followed instead and it was a much easier drive on proper roads and dual carriageways, and didn't seem to take much longer to get back to the motorway.

But what is safest for one person isn't another. Some people prefer the narrow windy line and other motorways. It's very subjective so would be impossible to do.

The sat nav in my car gives 3 choices automatically - quickest, shortest, greenest (not sure how it determines that.) DH's car only gives one route but has a huge range of preferences that you can store so you can tell it to avoid motorways or B roads where possible etc.
"Safest" is always going to be subjective though and I doubt any manufacturer would be daft enough to claim their device could make safety decisions on behalf of a driver.

I's like satnav to give me the route that passes the fewest houses, to minimize the immediate risk of running over a child and the longer term risk of polluting people's lungs

@LeedsLoiner@onyourway please be assured that was a typo and I would never drink and drive. 🫣😂