WHY MOTORHOME DRIVERS NEED MORE THAN A SATNAV

Satnavs are helpful, but relying on one alone can lead a motorhome driver into trouble. A car satnav has no idea how tall, how wide or how heavy the vehicle behind it actually is.

It is useful to think of navigation skill as a continuum rather than a single habit. A new driver may simply follow the satnav. An experienced car driver starts planning and checking routes in advance. A motorhome driver must go further still, because vehicle dimensions now matter. An HGV driver goes further again, weighing up bridge heights, weight limits, delivery access and contingency plans before ever setting off.

The lesson is straightforward: the bigger and more specialised the vehicle, the less a driver can rely solely on the satnav, and the more they must rely on navigation skill.

The continuum of navigation skill, from new driver to HGV driver.

For anyone driving a motorhome, six checks make the difference between a smooth trip and a stressful one.

1. Choose a Motorhome or HGV Satnav

A dedicated motorhome or HGV satnav is designed for larger vehicles and can route around low bridges, narrow roads and other unsuitable roads that a standard car satnav would happily send you down.

2. Enter the Vehicle's Dimensions Accurately

Height, length, width and weight all matter: accurate in, accurate route out. Incorrect details can lead to unsuitable or even dangerous routes.

3. Plan the Route Before Travelling

A few minutes spent planning a journey, and checking for restrictions, roadworks and tricky sections, can save hours of problems later.

4. Check Critical Sections Using Maps or Street View

Low bridges, tight bends, narrow lanes and awkward access points are far better dealt with on a screen at home than discovered for the first time from the driver's seat.

5. Be Prepared to Ignore the Satnav if Local Conditions Require It

Road closures, weather, diversions or local signs can all mean that a different route is safer or quicker than the one on screen. Judgement on the road remains the driver's greatest navigation tool.

6. Remember: the Satnav Guides, the Driver Decides

Satnavs guide. Experience and awareness decide. Stay alert, stay in control, stay safe.

Six checks that keep a motorhome trip safe, legal and stress-free.

Unlike the average car driver, motorhome owners already recognise that navigation is about more than simply following instructions. The same six principles set out in Road Navigation apply just as much behind the wheel of a motorhome as they do in any other vehicle.

Satnav guides. The driver decides.