Latest news with #satnav
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Blundering cabbie stops on Stoke-on-Trent A50 to 'sort sat-nav'
A blundering cabbie is facing police action - after stopping on the A50 to 'sort the sat-nav'. Staffordshire road crime team discovered the taxi on an exit slip-road off the dual-carriageway. It resulted in other vehicles having to swerve out of the way of the taxi and sparked queues. A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "If you are lost please don't stop in a live lane of a dual-carriageway to sort the sat-nav. Unlike this taxi driver we came across on the A50 where other cars had been swerving out of the way to avoid a collision and also causing unnecessary tailbacks. The driver has been reported." READ MORE: Neighbours at war as tarmac row sees shopkeeper install car park barrier READ MORE: Scene of devastation as car ploughs into Stoke-on-Trent kebab shop Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you - it's FREE
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Telegraph
Pensioner drives scooter down A-road after ‘following satnav'
A pensioner drove a mobility scooter down a three-lane A-road at night after 'following his satnav'. The man was filmed travelling slowly along the edge of the 70mph A13 near Dagenham, east London, on Monday evening as passing lorries and cars slowed to avoid him. He was pulled over by a fire engine and questioned by police before being escorted on to local roads. One onlooker said the man was 'following his satnav' in dashcam footage capturing his dangerous excursion. His scooter only had small flashing lights alerting other motorists to his presence and he wore dark clothing. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'At around 9.40pm, officers were alerted to a man on a mobility scooter travelling eastbound on the A13. 'The man was escorted to safety and advised. The road has since reopened.' Mobility scooter 'evades' police In December 2024, a mobility scooter driver 'evaded' police in an 8mph chase along the A14 in Northamptonshire. Mobile phone footage showed drivers taking action to avoid the man as he rode along the major road for at least two miles. Officers were unable to catch him when he U-turned and drove off in the opposite direction against the flow of traffic. Police said the man refused to stop or engage with them, and they were forced to leave empty-handed, with a subsequent search of the area proving 'negative'. In November 2023, a learner driver also had their scooter seized after driving it on to two motorways. Lancashire Police said the vehicle had been driven at 30mph in the middle lane of the M6 and the M61. Mobility scooters are banned from dual carriageways with speed limits in excess of 50mph and are only permitted to drive at 8mph on roads and 4mph on pavements. In 2023, 16 people were killed, 90 were seriously hurt and a further 222 suffered minor injuries in incidents involving mobility scooters.
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- The Guardian
Share your horror stories of driving abroad
On Tuesday an unfortunate driver in Rome took a wrong turn and became stuck on one of the city's famous monuments, the Spanish Steps. Police said the man tested negative for alcohol, but did not say whether or not he had been using a satnav. Do you have your own horror story of driving while abroad? You can tell us below. You can share your driving abroad horror story using this form. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first.
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The Knowledge is axed in Bristol after only eight taxi drivers pass 'outdated' test
The Knowledge Test, which requires taxi drivers to learn thousands of routes across the city, has been axed in Bristol after only eight drivers managed to pass this year. First introduced in 1865, the 90-minute test ensures drivers know precise road names and locations, routes to hotels, pubs, restaurants and clubs, alongside particular places of interest. But now, city council officials have scrapped the intense exam, deeming it to be a 'significant barrier' for individuals wanting to enter the profession and arguing that increased satnav use has rendered it 'outdated'. It comes after new figures have shown that just eight of the 133 people who have taken the test this year had passed. A new report published to Bristol City Council's public safety and protection committee on June 3 said that 'concerns' had been raised regarding the ongoing relevance of the test. It added: 'All private hire journeys are pre-booked, and the vast majority of drivers rely on satellite navigation devices. 'As such the current requirement to know the location of certain premises or roads is outdated. 'The level of detailed knowledge required to pass the test is significant and represents a significant barrier to entering the trade'. In November 2023, Department for Transport guidance was updated to say that topographical knowledge was no longer necessary. It said: 'Given the availability, reliability and ease of satnav systems, licensing authorities should not require any topographical knowledge or navigational tests for private hire vehicles'. This means that applicants, who typically take up to four years to master the challenging 100 question test, will now only be quizzed on broader aspects of safety that include general road safety and child sexual exploitation. The report also recommended that the test be expanded to include a wider range of issues such as disability awareness, conflict avoidance, management of racial abuse or hate speech, alongside how best to plan routes using navigation devices. In March, it was announced by Transport for London (TFL) that changes were to be made to the 'Knowledge' test required for the capital's iconic black cabs, with fewer than 15,000 licensed taxis left across the city, down a third in a decade. Widely considered one of the world's toughest taxi tests, candidates have to memorise the city's 25,000 streets and 100,000 points of interest within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. The change to the challenging exam was one of 14 pledges laid out in a new action plan under Transport for London in a bid to help support the struggling minicab and taxi industry over the next five years. It came after the Centre for London thinktank warned that black taxis were at risk of becoming extinct within the next 20 years without any changes to the current format. The number of licensed taxi drivers in London in February fell to a new low of just 16,816 - down nearly 10,000 in a decade from the 25,232 in 2014/15.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Frustration as lorries get stuck down Cornish lane again
Lorry drivers have been urged to "use common sense" and stop using a narrow Cornish lane after another vehicle got stuck Nicholls installed signs earlier this year after becoming fed up of lorries using satellite navigation driving down Coosebean Lane, Truro, and causing damage to trees and a stone wall when the vehicles become Mr Nicholls - who lives on the road - said drivers have ignored the signs and keep using the lane, including a 18-tonne lorry that got stuck on said local residents were "upset" and "frustrated" by the damage from the lorries and urged sat-nav using drivers to pay attention to the signs. Mr Nicholls said the area was like a "quiet oasis" which was being blighted by lorries."People use their sat-navs, and the greatest respect to people, but they don't use common sense," he said."When it gets really narrow they don't stop and think about it, they just plough on."He added: "There's a fairy trail and a lot of people walk on these quiet lanes and it's quite dangerous for the big lorries to come down." On Tuesday, Nicholls said people were out from 18:00 BST to 21:00 trying to get the lorry out and a wall was damaged by the stonemason by trade said he was happy to repair the wall but he would not be able to do it forever."In a few year's time, when I'm worn out and retired, I won't be able to do it," he said. "A lot of people are upset because of the damage to the trees and the wall because it's unique, its a herringbone wall, you don't see this very often."I think its just such a lovely, quiet little oasis, as soon as there's damage happening all the time, is very frustrating."
