I find it hard to believe that when the Turkish driver got to the ferry his error was not noticed, surely he would have to be booked on the ferry, and his documentation in order, we may not have customs controll now, but the ferry operators are a commercial business.

Eddy, Bury St.Edmunds,

SatNavs are a boon to people bright enough to use them. They are so simple that, if you are not bright enough then you are probably too stupid to be allowed to drive anyway. You don't use them all the time, only when you need them. They don't take the place of maps. Commonsense should be used, guys.

Richard, Dorchester, UK

Sheep to Antwerp, not difficult. Finding specific address when there much more demanding. These are aids to driving in the same way fuel consumption, rev counters and radio traffic congestion warnings are, to be ignored or used, to assist the driver in making a safe and trouble free journey

mike gee, bournemouth, uk

Not only are these drivers noticeable by the glow of these contraptions obstructing their view (I once saw a driver with one stuck on his windowscreen 6 inches above the steering wheel) but by their indecision whilst on roundabouts and approaching junctions. Ban them!

David Knight, Ellesmere Port, UK

I think all one would have to do is to check the whole of the journey on the sat nav before you left, as any sensible long haul map read journey would be done. Would take all of two mins to find out that you were about to end up in England rater than Gibraltar!

Alex, Newcastle-under-Lyme,

You've got to be smarter than your tools. This applies to a Satellite Navigation display as well as a hammer and saw or a ball-point pen.

peter, miami, usa

Ross's call for a ban is tongue-in-cheek - isn't it? But on a leisure trip, as opposed to just one from A to B, a map is far better, if you have someone to read it. It sets your route in its topographical context and alerts you to places of interest you might otherwise miss. I find maps fascinating.

Barry, Wallington, UK

How many accidents have been caused by people trying to drive whilst reading a map? How many accidents (and divorces) have been caused by arguments between drivers and navigators? (A satnav is now the perfect wedding gift).
Where your truck driver would have ended up with only a map - Turkey?

David, Reading, UK

What rubbish. I use a sat-nav all the time, sound only. If you use your common sense it's no problem. In any case, it's virtually impossible to stop anywhere to read a map on our crowded roads.

John H, Slough,

There are so many incorrect assertions and misconceptions in this piece that I won't even waste the time to counter it. Suffice it to say that my sat nav told me to avoid a shut motorway and saved me being trapped for hours and I won't be throwing mine away because there are idiots in the world.

Kay Tie, York, UK

Why not forbid cars altogether? Then there would be no car accidents. Technophobia will always exist, and morons who cannot navigate with or without SatNav will too, along with morons who have it as a hobby to belittle people better capable of purposful usage of technology than they themselves are.

N. Monrad, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sat-navs were originally designed as a navigation gude, to aid or assist motorist while locating road routes, or global mapping. Human intervention and hand hold skill sets were mandatory. Of late, such high-tech gizmos have taken over our mind's discretion to control the machines.We rely too much!!

sandy, New Delhi, India

I remember the first time we were given these, on exercise in Germany. It was quicker and more accurate to read one of the issue 1:100,000 maps. A moderately-skilled human can still do this with a map of the sort that can be bought cheaply with overtaxed fuel. Idiot humans deserve all they get.

D Murphy, Skipton,

Do you think it's clever to call this technology "idiotic" when it would have seemed fantastic so few years ago?

I use satnav with my brain engaged and eyes on the road and it helps me make rapid decisions when driving alone. I can't read a map while driving and signs are not always helpful.

Sam C, Shrewsbury, England

I object to Sat Navs on the basis that the last break in on my car was to take one (the glove box was rifled and 36 were pinched in the same area on this one night) even though I don't have one and an open map book was on the seat! The thieves of these devices are as stupid as the users.

John Tomlinson, Brentwood, Essex