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?

I refuse to believe that there are people who can easily handle a single track with passing places but who get stressed out by roundabouts!

I thought the eco route was just shorter, it certainly doesn't avoid stop starting, often increases it, because more junctions instead of going on the motorway or A road that bypasses built up areas.

Rural America most likely would meet the criteria of having lots of single track with passing places but no roundabouts.

No, you normally have 3 choices - fastest (time), shortest (distance) and then eco. Sorry I left out that eco is meant to avoid traffic lights, busy junctions (both of these to avoid stopping and idling) but it's also meant to keep you at a fairly constant speed so it does sometimes avoid motorways if the speed limit differs substantially from other nearby roads.

But obviously bear in mind they are algorithms and Google is American so often works best for the way that US roads tend to work. A bit like how Tesla self drive is much more erratic on European roads than it is in the US.

I can believe it fairly easily.
I grew up and learned to drive in a big city and then moved to a rural area when I was in my early 30s. I was terrified driving here at first - tiny, twisty roads with big hedges, tractors, wild life, passing places, generally stuff that I'd never really encountered before. I couldn't believe that there were speed cameras on the road to my new home because surely it was a physical immposibility to speed on a road like that? But at that stage I thought nothing of zipping into tiny spaces on city roundabouts or crossing 4 lanes of urban motorway to get to my turn off at rush hour.
Now if I go back to my old city I am practically having palpitations on some of the roads that I drove every day when I lived there, and I've turned into one of those people who would have had me muttering "oh get a move on, you could get a bus in there!" at roundabouts. But single track roads no longer faze me in the slightest and yes, it's quite easy to exceed the speed limit on the way to my house if you aren't careful. There are some roundabouts round here now but they are quiet on the whole, and they weren't there when one of my local friends did her test. There was only one set of traffic lights on the test route then too and she's not a great urban driver. But if there was a world championship for hill starts my money would be on her. For most people, what you do day to day is easy and the unfamiliar isn't.

Google maps is awful for sending you on narrow hilly farm roads instead of the main road that is 3 minutes longer.

why do you need to cope with country lanes if you will never usually drive down one

One day you might be diverted away from the main road for some reason - accident, oil spill, protest, whatever - and find yourself having to drive down country lanes.

I usually use Waze but I wish it would allow me to put in the height/length of our vehicle, I have been on an unfamiliar route only to discover a low bridge that we can't fit under. On narrow country tracks it can be more difficult for us to navigate passing places etc in my little boy's vehicle than it is in my car.

People tend to slavishly follow the voice rather than using a bit of common sense and looking at a map! Sat-Navs are not designed to be convenient, they're often designed to keep traffic off certain roads.

After reading this I have been googling Satnavs, I tow a caravan. I've been in some really awkward situations where my Twatnav tries to send me down unsuitable routes. My existing truck nav is ok but not 100%. It tried sending me across a field where there will be a road but it hasn't been built yet and then in circles trying to get back to the same place! TomTom reviews are very mixed. I can't afford and expensive mistake.

There’s also the possibility that the satnav is taking you off the main road because it avoids a huge traffic jam and if you decide to ignore the satnav you end up stuck.

It’s a gamble! If DH is in the car I’ll say ‘the satnav is trying to tell me to get off this road’ and he’ll go on his phone and check the traffic.

Designed to keep traffic off certain roads? What roads, why?

If your satnav is detecting traffic and telling you to avoid a road because of it, why doesn't it say so? Google maps usually does.

I can look at a physical map but that still isn't going to help with height restrictions.

If the traffic was already there when you started your journey then the satnav would have picked a route to avoid it from the start rather than it being a suggested diversion.

I always check the route given on the map before embarking on it, which tends to prevent these issues.

Oh, OK. That's not how google maps works - it will show the usual route but say something like "High traffic on this route" and suggest a diversion or you can follow the standard route and hope the traffic has reduced by the time you get to that bit.

I totally agree. Mine took me down a really long country track the other day when there was a perfectly normal road I could have used.

Thanks for all your thoughts and suggestions.
Part of it is to help my recently qualified daughter who is doing her first longish journey (2 hours) without me.

I think for now I will try and use a few things like AI to plan the route and avoid narrow or single lane roads where possible.
I will also look into the TomTom option.

Everyone who blindly follows their SatNav without looking at the route first, or gets upset at the thought of reversing, or can't cope with windy country lanes, you need to set your satnav to avoid unpaved roads. And your SatNav hasn't got that setting, buy one that has. 🙄

What have you got?

It's a Garmin. I've just double checked incase it was a previous one I was remembering, but yup, it's there.