I don't really have a view on Sat Navs as I have never used one and can't really see any reason why I should consider one in the future. If I where a delivery / multi drop driver then I can see just how valuable a tool they could be and I then would consider one. I do have a friend who has one in his car and has it on all the time, even when driving the 40 miles to his son's house, a journey he must have done hundreds of times. He says he like listening to the lady and god forbid, watching the little car wind it's way across the screen !!. I can drive / ride the 1000 miles or so from my house to the Drome in the South of France using the navigation system that I was born with. The odd time when there has been a Detour I have enjoyed pulling into a layby, getting the map out and finding a way to rejoin my route.
Just to get back to the use of phones and driving for a mo. How many time has one been behind a HGV and watched as his nearside wheels rattle over the roadside rumble strips, sway onto the hard shoulder sending clouds of dust and debris over following vehicles. A swift overtakes usually sees the driver texting his girlfriend or carrying out some other vital task on his phone that positively can't wait until his next stop.
Very, very dangerous practice.
What a ludite view, I guess you're still touring on a BSA Bantam as well
I've driven and ridden with satnav all over Europe since the days when a very basic Garmin i3 was considered state of the art high tech.
I can drive to the south of France, Spain and loads of places without a Satnav.
I've stuck my old Garmin Nuvi in the bach of my bike jacket rear pocket with a destination set with and earphone in and the verbal directions work fine.
In cars and vans the odd glance when it's safe is all the Satnav ever gets, far safer than trying to pick out many road signs or read foreign ones!
Maps are wonderful, but they have no idea where you are just like you when you take a wrong road, or get lost when diverted.
Satnav knows where you are within a few feet!
Working to schedules around Europe with deadlines to meet. The satnav also knows where the nearest fuel station is, restaurants, hotels, B&B's, service areas, vehicle dealerships etc etc.
Your maps and head also don't know where the hold up ahead are, or accidents. or speed checks and your maps don't advise that the speed limit has changed as your looking for the next sign or working out when to stop for a map check.
I ride and drive with a Satnav on most of the time, not because I can't use a map or don't know where I'm going, todays satnav knnow about traffic conditions and accidents. Waze alerted me of a broken down vehicle half a mile from my home the other day, I avoided a twenty minute delay by re routing. I have 3 options for joining M25, Satnav tells me where the traffic is moving on an up to the minute basis. Save me time, frustration and fuel.
Some people might live in a la la world with time to dick about with maps and stopping here and there for a check and guesstimate of where they are, I gave that up long ago. I want to get from A2B and enjoy the trip as trouble free as possible.
And if I'm riding a Harley with only around a 100 mile fuel range, I want to know instantly where the fuel stop is rather than guessing and faffing with maps!
Plenty of drivers in the UK are just as bad as the French and Spanish, overall having driven and ridden 100's of thousands of miles around Europe the French aren't to bad just avoid the Periferique and Arche de Triomphe and Paris generally
People smoking and lighting the bloody things are a bigger danger than hands free calls as far as I've seen(+ the prats who throw them out the window).
Pratting around with CD's, Ipods and kids and partners squabbling in cars is just as bad.
Towing a caravan I've seen couple arguing a couple of days after arriving on site due to the woman / man map reading saga on route. I've also lost count long ago on the map reading whilst driving or riding peering through the tank bag plastic sagas.
Satnav is BRILLIANT, just engage brain when using
