Navigating into danger

Nov 18 2009 Steve Hughes

Navigating into danger

DRIVERS are being warned to beware of the dangers associated with this year's must-have Christmas motoring accessory as sat-nav systems top the Yuletide wish-list.

Retailers say that record numbers of satellite navigation systems are currently being snapped as Christmas presents but whilst they can be a useful driving aid there are also inherent dangers.

Drivers who leave the systems on display within their vehicles are tempting opportunist thieves and the consequences can be far more serious than merely a smashed window and stolen sat-nav.

The sat-navs will almost always have been used to guide drivers back to their home, with the address stored in the system as a further opportunity for the thieves.

In many cases by the driver returns to the vehicle to find the sat-nav system gone their home has been burgled too.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists warns that such systems must be removed from view every time the vehicle is left unattended and - equally important - all traces of the fixings must also be removed otherwise thieves will know that the sat-nav is hidden within the vehicle.

The IAM also recommends that home addresses are deleted from systems every time they are used.

There are other potential dangers with sat-nav systems that could cause chaos, lose licences and even cost lives, the safety body warns.

Proposals to introduce so-called road trains, which are articulated vehicles of up to 60 tonnes in weight and more than 80 feet in length, could bring traffic to a standstill by being guided on to roads that are not capable of accommodating them.

This has already happened in a number of rural roads with standard-size lorries and coaches but the consequences could be far worse in the case of the American-style road trains.

Network Rail says it has suffered damage to railway bridges and level crossings nation-wide as a result of inappropriate vehicles being guided across them and according to a poll by motoring.co.uk a third of drivers say they have been guided into fields and other places where no road actually exists.

However, one of the most dangerous aspects of sat-nav systems is associated with the number of drivers who attempt to programme them whilst driving.

Anyone involved in an accident whilst doing so automatically becomes liable to prosecution for driving without due care and attention or in the case of a fatal accident they could be charged with causing death by dangerous driving or even manslaughter.

Motorists who programme their sat-nav systems whilst driving are said to be as numerous as those who continue to use hand-held mobile phones behind the wheel, both of which have been proven to be dangerous distractions.

IAM chief examiner, Peter Rodger says that motorists should always carry a map as a back-up to sat-nav systems, should never leave them on show within a vehicle and must never attempt to enter addresses whilst driving.

He says: ``Sat-navs can be a real aid to road safety, providing the driver already has an idea of the route.

'Have a map as a fall back and remember sat-navs are no more infallible than the person who uses them so do have some idea of your route before you set out.'

The IAM recommends: