Sat Nav

Possibly the most amazing to have happened since, oh I don’t know, the internet? Or Waitrose?

We take it for granted, but the technology behind Satellite Navigation is astounding. Your little Tomtom or Garmin is picking up signals from satellites circling the earth about 12,500 miles away and working out where you are from the time taken to receive those signals. And it can work out where you are to an accuracy of about five metres. Who would have thought?…

Here’s our top five tips and tricks for Satnav happiness:

1) Mount the Satnav low on the windscreen, so it doesn’t block any of your view ahead. The law will change soon, and you’ll get a ticket for having it mounted in front of your face and it’s already illegal in California so watch out! Makes sense too. The best location, and the most legal, is resting on top of the dash in the middle of the screen. That way you’ll see the child running out in front of your car…

2) Satnav’s are nest for the last few miles of your journey. Fundamentally we all know how to get from London to Birmingham, so trust your judgement for that bit, and you’ll know the shortcuts getting out of your local area. Getting to 18a Montrose Avenue is the tricky bit. You know how to get to the M1.

3) You can turn the sound off. Or on. Some people like a voice, I find it completely irritating. It’s your choice though.

4) Use traffic updates wisely. Sold as the best thing since sliced bread, we’ve often been misled by being told of a huge jam where in fact none exists.

5) Cheap is better: sometimes all you need is a small, cheap unit to get you out of trouble. The £300 bells-and-whistles unit won’t get you there any quicker.

6) Buy a built-in Satnav. Controversial we know, but having used countless factory-fitted units we’re sold on them. Big screens, in the right place, tv, telephone and radio integration and they can’t be nicked. We love ‘em. They may be expensive, but honestly they’re absolutely worth a grand or so. Trust us…