The Disadvantages Of A Sat Nav

It is now odd to find a UK driver that doesn't own a sat nav, their popularity shot up when the prices dropped some years ago. The units represent a quick and easy way to find exactly where you want to go. They are pretty much faultless and are idiot proof, being easy to operate. Are they a contributing factor to the dumbing down of the UK populous? It's like we are being spoon fed everything these days, making our brains redundant.

I like to keep my brain active on a daily basis and I have therefore completely shunned thesat nav, instead I prefer to use a map to get where I want to go, it's a lot cheaper and adds interest to the journey. I always wonder if the people that rely on sat navs would be able to cope if they got lost and their beloved little grey box ran out of battery, I highly doubt it.

Another option that's not a complete cop out would be to use thevehicle tracking system in your car or alternatively, the interactive maps on your smart phone to determine your location and find your way using that method. You are able to see your physical location on a map but you don't have a patronizing voice reading out instructions.

If you are feeling particularly rustic you could even go onto the AA website and print out a list of directions from that. Unless you are trying to locate a remote village in the outer Hebredies, road signage and a dash of common sense should be enough to see you on your way.

There are alternatives to usinggarmin sat nav devices, even if this means using your poor old brain a bit.

The Beauty of Sat Nav

Thank you GPS! After being initially sceptical, I have been completely won over by them. Many people joke that many drivers who own GPS have no clue how to actually use them! This is just one of the reasons why I was unconvinced. Now I found it hard to see myself going anywhere without GPS; especially after the last weekend's events. On Saturday evening I found myself completely lost, which doesn't usually bother me to be honest, but as time marched on I became more and more anxious. You see, I was on the verge of missing my father's surprise birthday party.

Stupidly I wasn't prepared. I had never made the drive to my parents, I used to rely on trains; stupid I know with British Rail's timekeeping. So I found myself in Reading, I was supposed to be in Kent! I was agitated, which is not good when you're behind a steering wheel. The signal on my phone was nonexistent, and my AA map had been the thing that had got me into this mess in the first place! Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bright neon lights of a supermarket, sat nav immediately came to mind. I pulled off the motorway and nipped in to buy one. I arrived just in time to see the look on my father's face.

This urban myth that sat navs are impossible to use, from my experience, is unfounded. I just switched the device on, typed in where I was going and it gave me clear understandable directions; it was as easy as that. I've became so attached to my sat nav I've named it Barbara. I'm not one to be caught up in new technology but I'm beginning to have a change of heart. What other car accessories have I yet to discover? Such is my poor sense of direction it could be time to invest in a vehicle tracking system!