27/04/2012
A sat-nav for the elderly
“Turn left in 300 yards,” my sat-nav tells me.
Three hundred yards! I don’t know how far that is! I was never very good in maths classes, and now I’m expected to work out how quickly I will reach this 300 yard point while travelling at 40mph in an area I’m unfamiliar with?
It’s not happening.
Thankfully, researchers at Newcastle University are developing a new sat-nav which could help me and many others out no end.
Meant for elderly drivers, this sat-nav will tell the motorist to turn at a certain landmark, like a church or a restaurant, instead of flinging distances at them.
Furthermore, for those motorists who have become worried by other traffic in their old age, the gadget will apparently even work out a route which has no right turns across traffic.
Professor Phil Blythe, the lead researcher, states, “What we are doing is to look at ways of keeping people driving safely for longer, which in turn boosts independence and keeps us socially connected.
“There are a range of solutions that could help and the navigation system is one of the more obvious solutions.
“It would be much simpler than a sat-nav and will try to provide information in ways the older generation can absorb and process.
“It identifies the safest route – such as avoiding right turns and dual carriageways – and uses pictures as turning cues, such as a postbox or public house.”
I’m loving the sound of this GPS system. I have a feeling it won’t be just elderly drivers choosing this new gadget over the less helpful sat-navs.
Three hundred yards! I don’t know how far that is! I was never very good in maths classes, and now I’m expected to work out how quickly I will reach this 300 yard point while travelling at 40mph in an area I’m unfamiliar with?
It’s not happening. Thankfully, researchers at Newcastle University are developing a new sat-nav which could help me and many others out no end.
Meant for elderly drivers, this sat-nav will tell the motorist to turn at a certain landmark, like a church or a restaurant, instead of flinging distances at them.
Furthermore, for those motorists who have become worried by other traffic in their old age, the gadget will apparently even work out a route which has no right turns across traffic.
Professor Phil Blythe, the lead researcher, states, “What we are doing is to look at ways of keeping people driving safely for longer, which in turn boosts independence and keeps us socially connected.
“There are a range of solutions that could help and the navigation system is one of the more obvious solutions.
“It would be much simpler than a sat-nav and will try to provide information in ways the older generation can absorb and process.
“It identifies the safest route – such as avoiding right turns and dual carriageways – and uses pictures as turning cues, such as a postbox or public house.”
I’m loving the sound of this GPS system. I have a feeling it won’t be just elderly drivers choosing this new gadget over the less helpful sat-navs.
Photo © me’nthedogs via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: elderly driver, GPS, motorist, Newcastle University, sat-nav, traffic, travelling
17/06/2011
Don’t always follow instructions
Here’s a water-based story that warns against paying too much attention to your sat-nav and not enough to the road in front.
In Washington, USA, three women went plunging into the Mercer Slough river in their SUV when they trusted the commanding voice of their GPS system a little too much.
Now it was dark – but if they had the vehicle lights on and weren’t driving too fast, they should have been able to see that they were being guided right down a boat slipway that led straight into the water.
Luckily for the women aboard the newly submerged vehicle, they were able to get out quickly as the Mercer Slough came pouring in.
After that all they could do was watch as their car sunk below the surface – no doubt drowning the engine completely.
A tow truck driver tried to drag the SUV out, but to no avail, and today the police are trying their hand at car fishing instead.
We doubt the car will be drivable after that ordeal.
Don’t get too drawn in by the sat-nav instructions – you have been warned.
In Washington, USA, three women went plunging into the Mercer Slough river in their SUV when they trusted the commanding voice of their GPS system a little too much.Now it was dark – but if they had the vehicle lights on and weren’t driving too fast, they should have been able to see that they were being guided right down a boat slipway that led straight into the water.
Luckily for the women aboard the newly submerged vehicle, they were able to get out quickly as the Mercer Slough came pouring in.
After that all they could do was watch as their car sunk below the surface – no doubt drowning the engine completely.
A tow truck driver tried to drag the SUV out, but to no avail, and today the police are trying their hand at car fishing instead.
We doubt the car will be drivable after that ordeal.
Don’t get too drawn in by the sat-nav instructions – you have been warned.
Image by Kirrus via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car, driver, GPS system, road, sat-nav, SUV, vehicle
05/04/2011
ducks2water, duck2waters or duck2water?
Sat-navs are purported to make enough mistakes already without street signs adding to the complications.
One road in Tamworth, Staffordshire has three road names along its 137 metre length – and all of them have a different spelling and no punctuation.
According to Tamworth Borough Council the road was originally called Ingram's Pits Lane from the 1890s to the 1950s.
And despite maps stating that the road is called Ingram Pit Lane, as it has officially been known since the 1950s, there are two other signs on the road which read “Ingram Pits Lane” and “Ingrams Pit Lane”.
So, there’s quite a bit of confusion, still it’s a bit of a silly mistake to make.
One of the residents of a connecting street said, “I don't see why it [the road] needs to have so many [signs] anyway, it's only a small street!"
It’s been a long time coming, since according to inhabitants all three signs have been up for more than 35 years, but Tamworth Borough Council is now looking into sorting the problem out.
One road in Tamworth, Staffordshire has three road names along its 137 metre length – and all of them have a different spelling and no punctuation.
According to Tamworth Borough Council the road was originally called Ingram's Pits Lane from the 1890s to the 1950s.
And despite maps stating that the road is called Ingram Pit Lane, as it has officially been known since the 1950s, there are two other signs on the road which read “Ingram Pits Lane” and “Ingrams Pit Lane”.
So, there’s quite a bit of confusion, still it’s a bit of a silly mistake to make.
One of the residents of a connecting street said, “I don't see why it [the road] needs to have so many [signs] anyway, it's only a small street!"
It’s been a long time coming, since according to inhabitants all three signs have been up for more than 35 years, but Tamworth Borough Council is now looking into sorting the problem out.
Image by Colin_K via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: driver, road names, sat-nav, street signs
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