The Highway Code should to be amended to include signs which warn motorists where sat-navs are not suitable, it has been claimed.
Armand Toms, a councillor for Cornwall, wants traffic laws changed so that drivers do not get stuck in many of the narrow roads across the county.
"If you had a sign that said, 'don't use this route' it would help. But the Highway Code doesn't have that at the moment and we would like the government to take notice and put in some commonsense and say 'switch your sat-nav off'," Mr Toms said.
"It's about putting some reason back into driving. The quickest route is probably not always the safest route."
Well said that man!
Driving in an unfamiliar part of the country can be a daunting prospect at the best of times and being ‘guided’ by your satnav can lure drivers into a false sense of security.
When I travel back home to Cornwall, I’m always reminded that drivers should treat driving in Cornwall like they might a foreign country. Its roads and streets can be ridiculously narrow and completely unsuitable for the types of vehicle that sometimes try to squeeze down them. Drivers unfamiliar with those types of road (read: tourists) should stop and consider in advance that the types of roads and situations they might encounter may be totally alien to them. A bit of foresight can go a long way.
Using Sat Navs in the right way would be a big step in the right, ahem, direction too. They’re a navigational aid and not a replacement for signpost reading and common sense.
Amending the Highway Code to allow for these ‘ignore your satnav’ signs is a no-brainer and long overdue.
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