buckthesystem Posted August 29, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 1,706 Topics Per Day: 0.26 Content Count: 3,386 Content Per Day: 0.51 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/12/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/10/1955 Share Posted August 29, 2007 http://www.stuff.co.nz/4182666a4560.html The first official road signs to warn drivers about the dangers of trusting their satellite navigation devices (satnavs) were introduced in a Welsh village. The signs, introduced by authorities in rural St Hilary, in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, to warn drivers about placing too much faith in the directional gadgets, could be brought in across the country if the trial is successful. Problems were reported after foreign drivers found it difficult to understand phrases such as "unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles" but could understand pictorial notices, media reported. The four signs have been introduced around one particular black spot in the village, where the electronic devices direct truck drivers to a shortcut between the main M4 motorway and Cardiff airport. The road is far too narrow for many to travel down, causing them to get stuck and sparking major traffic problems. More than a dozen large trucks have become stuck in the road in the past six months, according to traffic engineer Mark Simpson who came up with the idea for the signs. "We have had a series of problems with drivers getting into trouble by trusting their satnavs and we needed to do something about it," Simpson was quoted in newspapers as saying. "They can send drivers on the most direct routes which turn out to be narrow roads completely unsuitable for heavy and long trucks and lorries. Satnav can be a wonderful tool for drivers but it does have its dangers." If successful, officials plan a national roll-out of the signs to combat what is seen as a growing problem for frustrated motorists, with recent figures showing that more than four million of Britain's 32 million drivers rely on satnavs. Some have reported that software glitches have sent drivers down one-way streets or up impassable mountain tracks. One ambulance driver with a faulty satnav drove hundreds of miles in the wrong direction while transferring a patient from one hospital in Ilford east of London to another just eight miles (13km) away. A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly regional government said that officials would be "watching closely" the trial's results before deciding whether to expand the programme. He also said that officials from the Department of Transport had been consulted and were also monitoring the experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afal Posted August 29, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 60 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 2,249 Content Per Day: 0.36 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/12/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted August 29, 2007 See! The Welsh are very caring people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damo1 Posted September 11, 2007 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 29 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,822 Content Per Day: 0.29 Reputation: 19 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/23/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/16/1967 Share Posted September 11, 2007 from damo1 what has happend with using a map as i dont trust navigation systems at all i have always used maps and commen sence ask a local if lost go into a shop as some locals wil lead you astray and send you on a wrong path i have friends who use this them selves i am old school i look at a map and study it for some time before i take the trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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