Satellite Navigation
Satellite Navigation systems have become an essentially piece of equipment for many motorist. Once thought of as an expensive luxury item, satellite navigation units are now readily available at a relatively low cost and many new models of car include them as a standard feature. They are very useful items, particularly when travelling to a location you are not familiar with. A satellite navigation system is a lot simpler to use than a map as most systems give instructions to you as you drive along, so there is no need to pull over and plan your route. Also, many of the most up to date units include maps covering many other areas of the world, which is particularly useful for people in the UK who are travelling to Europe who may have trouble understanding road sings and finding their way.
However, despite the convenience of in car satellite navigation systems they have been subject to some controversy. For example people have occasionally been misdirected by their sat nav systems, and in one particular instance the Council in Hampshire was forced to erect a sign telling people to ignore their Sat Nav systems after several people had tried to drive down a road far too narrow for traffic.
The primary criticism levelled at satellite navigation systems though is that the can be distracting to the driver. Manufacturers of sat nav systems have attempted to over come this problem by locking out many features of the system whilst the vehicle is in motion to stop drivers being to tempted to adjust the settings whilst they are driving.