UK posts signs to ignore navigation systems, avoid perils
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 20th 2007 5:51AM
posted Feb 20th 2007 5:51AM
Once upon a blue moon, we can only assume that the advent of GPS meant easier navigating for all, as humans thought less about finding a map and more about focusing on the road. Apparently, blokes (and dames) over in England need to revert back to the paper-based method, as the government has been forced to erect warning signs in specific areas in order to get folks to pay attention to their surroundings. Odd as it may sound, the "Do Not Follow SAT NAV" cautions have actually quelled accidents on a narrow road in which drivers of wide vehicles were blindly driving themselves into a literal pinch. The vivid yellow signs have been posted in Exton, near Winchester in Hampshire, and embarrassingly enough, we wouldn't doubt if more make their way around given the Brits' long history of choosing outdated GPS instructions over common sense.
'Brits' long history of choosing outdated GPS instructions over common sense'
Who writes this shite, more to the point where do you get your info from
Surely some of the blame for problems like these has to lie with the Sat Nav manufacturers. Most of the systems I have seen do not have any sort of vehicle category options, without this data how can anyone expect a Sat Nav device to guide a 40 ton lorry. It's obvious that there are going to be some roads that are unsuitable, some bridges that lorries will not be able to fit under. By adding a vehicle category to SatNavs some of these problems can be avoided.
Yes smart drivers will be able to read the road, but in some cases roads that start out suitable, change to be unsuitable futher along. How is a driver supposed to know this if they have never driven in the area before?
Don't forget that a lot of the roads in England (and most of Europe) have been around for a while and were designed or originally used by foot, then horse and cart. The car and heavy goods vehicle is relatively recent so it's no surprise that a lot of roads are unsuitable for these vehicles. Local knowledge and reading the signs (there are existing road signs for low bridge and narrow road) is better than relying on a computer. I like the idea of the different vehicle categories, maybe you should patent the idea :).
Engadget editors: as a note I would like to say that I come from the UK (Winchester in fact) and i have not used the word bloke; ever. Neither has most of the population under 30, the word "guy" is used almost ubiquitously by most. Also once again England is not the UK, Britain is. England is one of the four countries (states if you like), that makes up the UK. Just like the states that make up the US each has slightly different laws, different systems of government (Scotland has it's own parliament, Wales an "assembly" and England it's own parliament, with varying levels of control over each.
You would probably be insulted if I thought that New York was the capital of the US, and this is no different, get your facts right please, or if you cannot do that please stop purporting to be intelligent people.
Slight tangent developing here: I agree with what most of Mikeyg says but... UK does not equal Britain. The term 'UK' is short for 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.
@MikeyG
We have an English parliament now?!?
I must have missed the referendum.
http://www.thecep.org.uk/
Trust me, from here, UK == England == Ireland. We don't care. Really. You're all funny ugly people with bad teeth who love dressing as women and speak in high-pitch voices. Don't waste your time trying to educate dimwits :)
^^ Please don't take this ignorant user's opinions as a typical American's. Any halfway-educated American knows the difference between the UK and the states that make it up (including England). They're not the same, just as Canada and the USA aren't the same. Speak for yourself, "LordJohnWhorfin" and refrain from wrangling us into your opinions by saying "we".
I drive a truck in the US and I have had a GPS for almost five
years.
I NEVER entirely trust it's routing. What happened to old fashioned
map reading skills? Garmin 2610, It gives you the option of truck
routing BUT it doesn't have either low bridges or weight
restrictions, AND it you don't watch it it will take you right
through aereas whet a 70 foot+ vehicle shoud not go.