For the 10% of people who actually know how to drive, it will not be a problem. For the other 90% driving only in the sense that they are in the driver's seat of a moving vehicle, it won't make them any worse. GPS is fun and handy, poking someone's eyes out with a stick for driving like an idiot would be good, too.

- Lyman DeKoquonut

statistics normally come with a margin of error +/-5% depending on the group size

so a 2% difference is meaningless

---

and how can having a map on your lap or on the steering wheel, and glancing away from the road to read it ... be as distracting as a clear simple voice prompt "turn left in 500 meters, enter High Street"

The article is utter drivel. I've been a HGV driver (Commercial Driver for our merkin cousins) for 13 years. The first 10 years using paper maps.

The comment about satnav being more dangerous than reading a map whilst driving is just completely ludicrous.

The comment about mistakes placing drivers in danger is also rubbish. It merely points out what bad drivers do. One way streets are usually well covered on Satnav. However, as a driver of a 44 tonne, 15ft high lorry, I have to worry about weight limits, low bridges, axle limits and length limits. Satnavs cover non of those and regularly try to route me down roads I can't go down (as they're designed for cars) yet I have not once in 250,000 miles of using Satnav, had a problem with it. I ignore the instruction and let it reroute me.

All the article does is highlight how utterly s***e some car drivers are.

"Satnavs cover non of those and regularly try to route me down roads I can't go down (as they're designed for cars) "

Actually the nav I just got for my mom has a setting to change the type of vehicle you drive, and trucks is one of those...I wonder if it'll take your limits into considiration...

I usually am in the car with my wife when I need to use the GPS... I always setup the route prior to driving, though I don't always check the route... Any detours we need to make are entered by her...

My car has voice recognition (Acura TL) but I haven't learned how to do most of the Nav stuff via voice.

Distraction? eh, ionno who figured that one out. GPS is the greatest thing that came around for the car. And if your too stupid to drive into a 1-way street, then you shouldn't be driving in the first place. Must say, GPS if anything makes me safer especially since I know well ahead of time which exit ramp needs to be taken instead of trying to head to it in the last second in unknown territory.

Again, as long as it's a good vocal nav, otherwise, you're as distracted, if not more-so than some twit fiddling with his stereo.

I don't get distracted with my gps...once in a while I'll quick glass at it from the corner of my eye and see how far before the blue line turns left...smoking a cigarette is more distracting then my gps.

Insurance people and liberals. ;)

Insurance people and neo cons ;) ;)

If you can't find your way around without a GPS computer on your dashboard maybe you shouldn't be driving.

ba-dum-bum

*csssh*

He'll be here all week, folks!

---------------

Too right, though.

Or better yet, while the vehicle is moving, it should be shut off. Want directions? Pull off to the side and power it up, get your bearings, and when you're ready, start driving again.

Cell-phones, fast-food, GPS, CD-Players... all created specifically to weed negligent drivers out of the general population.

We love ya, Darwin.

So is picking your nose.

Everything is a distraction. Soon they'll be saying driving is a distraction.

That is why GPS has "Voice Prompts".

I don't need a British insurance company telling me the obvious.

I guess you don't drive for a living. Try driving a 44 tonne 53ft long, 8ft wide 15ft high vehicle with a limited time you can drive per day like that. Most of the time you'll not be able to find a place to pull over. You'll waste so much time stopping and getting back up to speed that you'll waste a good 30% of your daily driving time checking directions.

You should try driving for a living. You'll soon see why Satnav is a good thing.

Or are you saying you know the location of every street in every hamlet, village, town and city in your country and could navigate to any one of them from anywhere off the top of your head if someone told you to go there?

So in the interest of effinciency, lets kill some folks?

Yeah, brilliant.

You're right, I don't drive for a living. That must be why I haven't become too comfortable, lazy, and careless to do it.

Looks like you have. Perhaps you should stop before you kill someone.

"Everything is a distraction."

True, but we can mitigate them somewhat by banning the use of the more controllable distractions.

Idiots will still be idiots, but perhaps their victims will get to live to see another day.

Unless you have a really good voice nav, you're dangerous.

So long as it tells you where to go without forcing you to look at some screen, you're allright. It's like having a passenger.

If you have to fiddle with it and look at it, get off the road before you kill someone.

The trick is not to fiddle with it while driving...glancing at the gps screen is like glancing at the rear view mirror...how often have you killed someone when you glanced at your rear view mirror? Side view mirrors are even worse...you actually have to turn your head to see them...are they a distraction as well??

My speedometer is also a distraction, I actually have to look down for a second to see my speed.

C'mon...this is the biggest bs article I've ever seen in my life.

Ok, ban the use of radios and music in cars. That's a much bigger distraction, not being able to hear traffic around you and playing with radio controls?? That's suicide!!!

Amen to that! This PC_Gibberish guy is a moron.

PC_Tool dude, you're a moron.

Yeah! Lets revert to 4th Grade and start calling everyone names!

Brilliant.

lmao..

Never said that.

But don't tell even *try* to tell me it hasn't caused accidents.

I never said GPS should be banned. I did say it should be used responsibly...as any other device in the vehicle.

If you do, great! There are a lot of others out there who do not.

Saying it's a possible distraction isnot BS. It is true.

Now, had they said it should be banned, that would be BS.

Yes, many GPS out there now make it easy to nav without too much distraction. Does that mean we should stop looking at ways to make it even less distracting for the ... less responsible drivers?

Well, I suppose if it inconveniences you, we shouldn't, right?

Gerwin, buddy...

You're a jackass.

...and your grammar sucks.

Gee, isn't this fun?

Mobile phones, GPS systems, kids, makeup... same story. If people are irresponsible, they cause problems.

Yeah! I was listening to my IPOD (which hurt my ears so I sued them) and having a cup of coffee (Which was too hot so I sued them) while trying to pay attention to the GPS system which distracted me and made me have an accident. (So I'll sue them)

They did a study? Common sence is now dead for sure.

RIP, old friend.

That's the way it is alright. Land of the free.

BTW, I'm going to sue you.

So is spelling. You mispelt sence. it's cents. ;)

Hua? Oh, I get it! Hahaha!