Following the death of a Yorkshire teenager, The Fuelcard Company is reminding drivers of the dangers of paying undue attention to the road ahead while following sat nav directions.
The Fuelcard Company’s marketing director, Jakes de Kock, warns: “For every amusing anecdote or photograph of a car in a river because the driver followed the Sat Nav too resolutely, there’s a story of someone being seriously injured or killed for the same reason.
“It’s imperative that all drivers, including those that would class themselves as professional, are aware of these dangers and use their own common sense when following the instructions of these devices. They help to navigate, not to warn you of dangers on the road.”
Navigation systems expect drivers to follow the rules of the road and use a degree of common sense when listening to instructions. On top of this, drivers must maintain concentration on the road ahead and not focus too heavily on the screen or the information it is providing.
According to de Kock, to use a sat nav safely, it’s also important to position them so that vision is in no way blocked and drivers can still see out of the whole of the windscreen. Most devices have a night-time mode to dim the light, which drivers should use when it’s dark to avoid glare on the windshield.
IainF - 24/10/2012 11:55
The concern about the placing of SAT NAV is that it should not block your vision but nowhere has it be stated where a SAT NAV should be placed. You even see company's who advertise the sale of SAT NAV's placing them in the middle of the windscreen. Something needs to be put into place to advise the public of the best place, before a incident happens!