I don't understand why some people seem to have a completely unquestioning faith in certain kinds of technology and appear to stop using their brains, to their own detriment. The weirdest recent example is a taxi driver who drove into a river because his sat-nav system told him to. Pat Bowles, from Streamline Taxis, said: "Normal people would stop and back out, but because his sat-nav told him to keep going, that's what he did. I don't think he did think until he couldn't go any further."That is not an isolated incident either, as there are an increasing number of examples where people have been lured into dodgy situations by unwittingly trusting their sat-navs a bit too much. One lorry driver was "trapped in a country lane for four days" after his sat-nav sent him down a road that was too narrow to pass. Unable to leave his lorry, he slept in the cab for days, living off sandwiches and coffee brought for him by locals who took pity on him. Other sorry tales include motorists regularly getting stuck on a dirt track on Saddleworth Moor in Yorkshire, frequently ending up "in tears" according to bemused locals, as well as ending up on railways lines, in rivers and in too-narrow roads.
There are lots more of these incidents, once you start looking. I'm afraid it made me laugh (is that cruel, or does it just prove I'm a techno-sceptic who doesn't drive?). What I don't understand is how you could end up in a river- you must see it in the distance, mustn't you...?
It reminded me of the current Doctor Who story on TV, the Sontaran Stratagem, where all cars worldwide are equipped with a sat-nav-type system that ultimately guides human drivers to their own destruction, as the system is secretly controlled by evil alien forces. I'm not veering into conspiracy theory territory involving GPS systems or aliens here, but suggesting that maybe a completely unquestioning faith in a gadget, while simultaneously putting one's brain on hold, is not a great idea. Unless I would think differently if I was a driver....?
5 comments:
The SatNav thing is so stupid but I can believe it. Going to a friend's house in the north recently, she told me that her road was a main one so any cab driver should know it, but the one I got didn't have a clue and said he worked on postcodes which he could put in the satnav system. So it looks like soon the expert knowledge of directions will be deemed unnecessary.
Since mobile phones became so popular, I think most people (myself included) won't know many phone numbers as everything is stored and a button pushed. Its all very easy but its another bit of our brains that we just aren't using and leaving to technology.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the expert knowledge of directions as time goes by. I read a comment by a black cab driver recently who sniggered slightly at minicab drivers who relied on satnavs to find their way around. He said doing 'The Knowledge', experience of how London's streets and traffic changes during certain times of the day and/or week, plus talking to other drivers meant he could avoid routes or problems that wouldn't necessarily show up on a satnav.
I can believe that, as I wondered recently (while stuck in traffic...) whether satnavs really help drivers avoid 'roads from hell' or traffic jams caused by all the infuriating road works in central London at the moment. I'd like to think the jams were caused by naive satnav-followers, before their brains were forced to take over to avoid the route in future...
There was a blurb on the news over here about just such incidents. I wonder about the possible increase in accidents caused by drivers entering data and double checking the screen while driving. Combine that with cell phones and it's potential disaster.
BTW, so good to have you back amongst us, Claire. I've missed you.
There's a couple of places where a council has put up signs that say
"Do not follow your SAT NAV! Turn right"
As they've had so many difficulties caused by brainless idiots.
When I had a car, I had a map, and I'd get lost on a regular basis. So much so that I had to factor in 'getting lost time' and my boss used to make sure he'd be available to take my call to talk me back where I needed to be, if I was visiting clients.
The upside was, I got to drive around beautiful countryside and found some beautiful places I wouldn't have known were there, had I not got lost in the first place.
Deb, good point, I didn't think about them as yet another distraction.
And thanks for your nice comment:) Though I'm afraid I'm still being a bit sporadic with blogs (mine and reading others) as have some hefty work deadlines at the moment...
Roses, I can't believe those council signs, but it's rather amusing!
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