Map24.com offer Christmas travelling advice: don't put all your trust in the sat nav!

Andy Merrett Internet, Satellite Navigation systems
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map24mobile.jpgMap24.com, the Internet mapping and routing portal, is feeling seasonally festive and handing out free advice for anyone travelling on the roads this Christmas and New Year.

Now, I won’t be mean and say that the advice is straight out of the Sybil Fawlty book of “stating the bleedin’ obvious” (oops), but here it is anyway. It’s amazing how many people put their complete trust in a box of microchips with a shiny screen and a smooth computer-generated voice:

1. Plan ahead especially for unfamiliar routes. (In other words, use Map24.com at home to avoid risking decisions whilst travelling)

  1. Pay attention to road signs, don’t just go by what the sat nav says.

  2. Pay attention to the road ahead, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the sat nav’s voice (it’s a puppet machine!)

  3. Use that low-tech device – the radio – to listen for traffic updates.

  4. Leave plenty of time for your journey. (You’ll need the extra time to go and collect the sat nav once you’ve chucked it out of the car window at 70mph on the M4 for being so stupid.

  5. Use common sense. Huh?

  6. Be prepared to switch off the sat nav system and ask ‘the locals’ or use a paper map (shock!)

  7. “If you have discovered an alternative route on a regular journey (to work, for instance) be considerate of the local people and environment. If it takes you through a village and past a busy school, for example, be prepared to take the longer route if you feel that it’s safer for the children.” I’m sure sat nav systems don’t tell you to drive like an idiot…

  8. Many websites now contain directions and up to date information offered by hotels, etc. (ooh, like Map24.com) Check ahead, if possible, to find out if there are any current restrictions or limitations on parking.

  9. Remember it is better to arrive late than not at all.

So there you go. Love your sat nav, but don’t put your complete, unwavering trust in it.

Oh, one more from me…

  1. If you find yourself approaching a cliff edge, then your sat nav got it wrong.

Related stories: Map24 Mobile 2.0 expands geographically, offers more features | Sat nav for pedestrians | Map24.com: Free map service for mobiles | Mio unveils C210 Sat Nav for less than £200

Andy Merrett
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