Can sat-nav negotiate Whitehall maze?
THEY have tried to send drivers over cliffs, through rivers and into ditches. Now satellite navigation devices are about to find an altogether greater obstacle: the Government. The Department for Transport is concerned that sat-nav equipment — used by four million Britons — is sending too many vehicles down inappropriate roads. Manufacturers may be forced to take action to prevent this happening. Some models may even be banned if they are deemed too distracting. The RAC Foundation has given warning that the rapid growth of the devices, which alert drivers about traffic jams, may result in thousands of motorists being simultaneously advised to leave main roads and continue their journeys on unsuitable routes, causing gridlock on country lanes and in villages. The Department for Transport is consulting manufacturers, motoring groups and safety organisations on the best way to overhaul the system. Its paper, called In-Vehicle Information Systems Consultation, states: “There is a definite
