[Rolebama]

I have only ever had one problem with a satnav. I decided to build a trailer, and found a website for a place just outside Winchester that had everything. I put the Postcode into my satnav and headed off. Eventually, on a country lane in the middle of nowhere, it proudly announced I had reached my destination. I parked up in a field entrance, got out, and looked around. Luckily, I could see the big sign on their warehouse across the fields. That was when I discovered that rural Postcodes take you to the centre of it. I was very happy that it happened in the summer, not in the winter, when it gets dark early.

When my son-in-law had his own business, I went to do something for him. As I drove along the access road, I saw an articulated lorry up to its axles in mud in a field. Apparently his satnav had told him to go straight ahead as opposed to the usual 'follow the road'.

[olduser]

I lived and worked in Southern Ireland for a few years, one colleague bought every toy possible for his car so of course when satnavs were first available he had one.
When the firms delivery lorry broke down in Northern Ireland we went to see if we could fix it in his car.
Every time the satnav announced, "in 200 yards turn whatever", he responded with, "I will, I will", at first it was just funny odd, but after half an hour it got annoying.

When I worked on energy meter inspection, at first I was using maps, I refused to buy a satnav as I thought the company should buy one.

Our team manager said he had an old one that worked on postcodes and he would let me use it but I wasn't much further forward, it only worked on the 'Out' code eg. PE4 this is an area near Peterborough.
PE4 was in fact Kings Lynn, a Kings Lynn post code with the 'In' code would be say PE4 7HQ - back to the maps!

I did eventually get the company to supply one, the only problem was it tended to lead me to the backway of big blocks of flats, I was no Tarzan, I just couldn't swing myself up from balcony to balcony.

[NMNeil]

I used my GPS to find an address just outside of Lubbock. Got to where the house should be and; nothing, just cornfields.
I called the person I was visiting and he told me I was only about 40 miles from his house (You have no idea how big Texas is until you go there, and 40 miles is just a stones throw to the locals) He gave me directions and all the time I was heading towards the house the GPS kept telling me I was going the wrong way and to turn around.
When I was pulling into his road the GPS proudly announced "Your destination is 500 yards on the right" 🤔

[Drivingforfun]

Where we walk the dog there is a track off the road that goes down a slope and has a couple of very short bollards - I guess a tractor could clear them

Once at the end of the track I saw a SUV with no bumper, then saw the bumper was attached to one of the bollards

I often see people driving cars and only the top of their head is visible and I wonder how they can see in front of them - my guess is she couldn't and was looking at the satnav perhaps

[olduser]

What if, satnav was projected onto the screen, with a button on the steering wheel to kill it when not in use or an unfettered view was more important?

[NMNeil]

@olduser My truck just has a stick on the dashboard GPS, it's not permanently installed.
So when I use it I put in the address and follow the directions until it says something like "Follow highway xx for the next 220 miles" and I look at the odometer, make some quick calculations and unplug the thing for the next 220 miles. 😁

[Santa]

When I first drove trucks for a living, I could usually remember the route to any address I'd been to before, without a map. These days, in my car, following the satnav's directions seems to switch off the memory, so I forget.

When I was working, and given a new drop or collection, I usually looked it up on Google Street View to get a picture of what to look for. When you are over 18 metres long, it's hard to turn around if you miss an entrance.

[Rolebama]

@Santa I agree with you about Google's Street View. I used it when I took my son-in-law to pick up his new motorcycle. Checked out the junctions and landmarks for the route. When we got home afterward he passed comment on how he didn't know that I knew where the dealer was. I explained and he said he had never thought about using it in that way.