Sat Nav Offenders Face £1000 Fines

Daily Mail, Tuesday December 27 th 2005
By James Slack, Home Affairs Editor

Motorists who received a satellite navigation system for Christmas have been warned they face £1000 fine if they fit one in the wrong place on their windscreen.

The ‘satnav' devices – one of the most popular gifts for adults this year – are meant to improve safety by preventing drivers from having to fumble for maps or depend on road signs for directions.

But police say the small screens, which motorists usually attach to their windscreens, can obscure their view if put in the wrong place.

Drivers who fit them above the steering wheel so they can be most easily glanced at could end up in front of magistrates facing a maximum fine of £1000.

Police may also punish the offence with a £30 on-the-spot fine. Traffic officers warned yesterday that under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use Act), the units must not take up more than 40mm of the area swept by a car's wipers.

Inspector Peter Hughes, of Hampshire Police, said: ‘Obviously drivers have a tax disc and rearview mirrors attached to their windscreens, but these do not obstruct their view. If these devices are fitted in such a way that they do affect their view then they may be committing an offence.'

Retailers including supermarkets as well as specialist stores such as Halfords have reported huge sales of satnav systems.

This follows a drop in prices from more than £1000 to as little as £130.

The systems work by using signals from 24 satellites of the US Global Positioning System.

Drivers can plan their journey by tapping in an address or postcode and seeing the route planned out on-screen.

A computerised voice then tells them which way to go.

The most popular way to fit the units is with a mounting bracket that has a strong suction cup and sticks to the windscreen.

The two safest places are the bottom-centre of the windscreen or the bottom right-hand corner.

A driver could be breaking the law by fixing the screen in the centre of driver's side, above or behind the steering wheel.

Manchester say the correct position is made clear in the instructions.

A spokesman for TomTom, the leading manufacturer of satellite navigation systems in Europe, said, ‘All our systems come with instructions to help drivers avoid encountering any problems. The best position for our systems is low down in the centre of the windscreen.'

Police are also warning drivers never to leave a satnav system in their car because they are a popular target for thieves.

Around 500 a month are stolen in London.

Drivers often take them off the dashboard and put them in the glove compartment.

But they leave suction pad marks on the windows, letting thieves know the system is probably still in the car.