The Car Hub

Back in the late 1990’s the introduction of the roadside “Gatsos” camera was hailed as the best way to cut speeding motorists and reduce accidents. In the last dozen or so years these cameras have resulted in many thousands of speeding drivers receiving fines and even bans for breaking speed limits.

What began as a safety feature soon took on another aspect as the proliferation of cameras was soon to be perceived as a money making tool for local authorities. Years after their introduction some of the Gatsos are now under pressure to be removed as in some areas they are not required due to low revenue returns.

Running along a similar path has been the introduction of the Sat-Nav, without a doubt it is a huge asset to the driving experience by using the latest GPS tracking technology, but has it been hijacked to do more than it should?

Serious testing has been ongoing in several countries for some time to establish whether it will ever be possible to allow a “non-present” driver to drive the vehicle by having GPS technology controlling the distance between cars on the road, their direction, speed and also taking note of road signs.

That was the case until this week when a court case revealed some of the failings within the above technology.

The court case revealed that as a result of being guided in the wrong direction by his Sat-Nav a driver in Yorkshire ended up on a private road, on private land and in a very dangerous cliff top position. The court’s decision cost him nearly £1000 in fines and six penalty points.

The above supports the long standing law which says that at all times a driver must be in charge of his own vehicle; just imagine the mayhem on the roads if this current GPS technology was relied upon to control our cars.

Bill Williams

The Car Hub