Drivers who use satnavs will see new government measures put in place
Satnavs will see an update that aims to help drivers avoid being directed down closed roads (Image: Getty Images) The government will launch new measures to make sure satnavs are up to date in an attempt to avoid motorists being sent down roads that are closed. The new measures are part of its new Plan For Drivers and will include making all Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) digital.
TROs are short-term traffic measures such as temporary speed limits or road closures. Until now, they were not automatically updated on digital systems.
Lancashire Telegraph: The change to satnavs should help motorists The change to satnavs should help motorists (Image: Tim Ockenden/PA Wire)
This means they are sometimes missing from satnav[1] systems so drivers could be unaware that some roads are closed or that temporary speed limits exist. Valuable data such as the location of parking spaces will become available for satnavs under the new measures.
Why DVSA added satnavs to practical driving tests
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) added the use of satnavs to a part of the practical driving test in December 2017 – here’s why it made the change. According to Halfords[2], satnavs were added to driving tests so that new drivers “are trained to use them safely and correctly.”
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In a statement, the Department for Transport said the satnav update will make sure drivers have the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Recommended reading: Roads minister Guy Opperman said: “This Government is on the side of drivers, which is why we’re making travelling by road much easier. “Everyone knows the frustrations of being sent down a closed road by your satnav, so by going digital with our traffic information, we’re making sure that drivers have the very latest travel information to rely on.
“This is part of our first package of measures from our Plan for Drivers to be set out tomorrow, coming after our record GBP8.3 billion investment to resurface local roads, the biggest ever increase in funding for local road improvements.”