Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not comprehend why SATNAV is legal?

50 replies

NotanOtter · 30/12/2009 20:17

By which i mean one of those non built in variety which suction on to a windscreen?

My bugbear with these ( i repeat stick on windscreen variety ONLY) is that for example; were a small child to walk out infront of my car - it is at around this height that i would see it and the sat nav obscures my vision

I do not have one - but believe with legislation in place to prevent the use of mobile phones in cars - i personally find the sat nav on the winscreen thing bizarre

Am i being unreasonable to thing these things dangerous or am i missing something?

OP posts:
Original poster
NotanOtter · 30/12/2009 22:48

i sat in miles of queues on m62 in monday and saw scores of them mid and low windscreen...

i also question huge things on rear windscreen eg stickers and silly mum on board things

OP posts:
southeastastra · 30/12/2009 22:49

i drove with mine in the middle though i was going to the o2 arena for the first time through london. i didn't run anyone over

InMyLittleHead · 30/12/2009 22:53

I had a bit of a rant about a week ago about those computers new cars have on the dash, because I think people spend more time looking at them than on the road, and when parking they just use the sensors and don't actually look around the car. Don't understand how it can be less dangerous than talking on a mobile.

Don't think the view obstruction is such an issue with satnav unless you put them somewhere silly.

MmeLindt · 30/12/2009 22:53

Mine is in the middle, but as low down as it can possibly go. The dashboard sinks a bit towards the windscreen so it is hardly higher than the dashboard.

MumNWLondon · 30/12/2009 22:56

it depends where you position them - i always position it quite high up and to the side, so would not obsure seeing a child. also i think they are much safer than an AZ on your lap - and as mine talks i often don't even need to look.

when driving in unfamilar areas they are a godsend, and i am you are less likely to crash as you are not worried about being lost.

maryz · 30/12/2009 22:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 30/12/2009 22:56

i think if they're in the middle my concern would be that you'd start looking at that rather than the road. if you have to glance to the side while you're checking your mirrors etc then it can only be a glance, by definition.

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 30/12/2009 22:57

yy my feeling is that the dash mounted ones are totally dangerous.

Awassailinglookingforanswers · 30/12/2009 22:57

H's old job needed a SatNav - he could have done it with a map (and did for a while to start with) but it was much slower and meant he didn't reach his targets, not reaching targets=less money at the end of the month.

InMyLittleHead · 30/12/2009 22:59

I have a theory that SatNav is making people more stupid. No one needs to remember anything or have a sense of direction anymore, because it's there on a screen.

Ditto parking sensors and spacial awareness.

southeastastra · 30/12/2009 23:00

i did take a wrong turn with my sat nav and it took me righ through the east end to o2 arena. was very interesting as i passed the blind beggar pub and went past canning town home to danny dyer and david essex.

would never have done that with an a to z

MmeLindt · 30/12/2009 23:00

The parking sensors are dangerous. Our car has them and while I don't rely on them alone, I do use them.

My parents car does not and I almost crashed into a mercedes whilst reversing because I forgot that their car does not beep.

Awassailinglookingforanswers · 30/12/2009 23:08

InMyLittleHead - some people just don't have a sense of direction

My mum doesn't - and she can't read a map while "in motion" (she's alright if she's stood looking at it - but in a moving vehicle - forget it). I still vividly remember the arguments in the car when my dad (who I swear used to be a carrier pigeon in a former life) just could not get his head around the fact that my mum couldn't follow the map at speed.

He always vowed he'd never get a SatNav - they were for lazy people with no sense of direction, nothing wrong with an old fashioned map, just look at the route before you go blah blah blah...........then his techy side got the better of him and he bought one........and he loves it - "she" has even got a name > (but it has kept my parents marriage together as they no longer row in the car )

InMyLittleHead · 30/12/2009 23:12

My friend's parking sensors tend to go 'beep beep beep beepbeepbeepCRUNCH

maristella · 31/12/2009 00:16

they're legal because if used sensibly they are safe and effective - rather like cars

SheikYerbouti · 31/12/2009 06:57

Yes, I do drive in unfamiliar areas. I drove to Pontypool the week before Christmas for work, with only my map and sign reading prowess to help me. I managed to get there without getting lost.

SheikYerbouti · 31/12/2009 06:58

And don;t get me started on parking sensors

CarmenTinselPalmTreesSanDiego · 31/12/2009 07:01

They brought in a state law in California saying that you have to position them in the lower left corner of your windscreen. I love my TomTom and it doesn't obscure my vision there. But I can imagine if it was in the middle of your windscreen or weirdly positioned it could be a problem.

Blondeshavemorefun · 31/12/2009 11:29

my sat nav is stuck on the drivers window, kinda by wing mirror but up a bit so cant see out of wing mirror

never had it on windscreen

i set it before i set off and if i miss a turn then least it re navigates itself, rather than think bollocks and fumble for a map

Kaloki · 31/12/2009 12:06

I loved my satnav, try driving in the maze that is Brighton for the first time without one! And mine was never in a position to restrict my view.

blithedance · 31/12/2009 12:23

Sorry but I have to defend.

I checked this morning. My windscreen-sucker satnav is a bit to the left of centre, as low as possible. The fixing and top bit of the screen are in front of the glass but in my field of vision they only obscure a small part of the pavement/verge, not the lane I'm driving in. I could not run over something obscured.

Advantage of having it a bit further away - I can't reach it and be tempted to reprogram, and I don't have to move my eyes/focus much to glance at it.

In my littlehead, not everyone can hold directions in their own little head. If I didn't have the satnav I'd be fumbling with an atlas, googlemap printout or simply driving around lost in a state of panic. I must have wasted weeks of my life in unnecessary detours.

DH has an inbuilt compass in his head, is a natural mapreader, never lost and spurns the satnav. Lucky for some.

bamboobutton · 31/12/2009 12:55

using maps to get anywhere unfamiliar is a big pile of poo.

we tried to get to our holiday cottage in N.Yorkshire using just a map which was fine untill we got to scarborough then it was useless as it doesn't name the tiny backroads by name or number(was an AA roadmap).

so we drove around for ages waiting for DHs knackered old phone to boot up and satnav to lock in on us, typed in the postcode, zoomed off and found the house in 20mins. it was a godsend and also saved our marriage

Kaloki · 31/12/2009 14:49

Also, good for those of you with a good sense of direction and a good memory who can do without satnav. But I'd rather have my satnav rather than relying on a faulty memory and driving around randomly in the vague hope I find where I'm going.

HogMoonay · 31/12/2009 15:24

I have one that is small and I position it high just under my mirror really. It's never blocked my view (certainly no more than the gigantic pillars that cars seem to have these days).

I think satnavs are a lot safer considering how many morons used to (and still do?) drive around with a map on their lap or on their steering wheel. I have seen it many times.

mvemjsunp · 31/12/2009 15:26

I didn't like the suction that came with my Tom Tom as it kept falling off (obviously windows not clean).

I bought a little holder that grips into the air vent grilles. It is perfect.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread