I am the world’s worst navigator, especially as a car passenger. When handed a map I can never work out the directions in time for that crucial junction, and the tizz I get into while trying does not help the driver in any way. So when asked if I thought a satellite navigation device (sat nav) could help with road safety, my immediate thought was YES! Anything that takes the responsibility of finding a route out of my hands will immediately make any journey safer.

However, to find out exactly what a sat nav can do, as safety and security tester for , I have been testing the Garmin Nuvi 50 5 inch Touchscreen Satellite Navigation with UK and Ireland Maps.

Devon, where I live, has the most mileage of road than any other county in the UK, and the most dangerous highways (according to recent surveys), and so is the perfect testing ground. Last weekend, with the rain and fog making driving conditions harder than usual, myself and my boyfriend put the Garmin Nuvi 50 through its paces.

 

 

Garmin Nuvi 50 Review

 

The first thing to say is just how easy this device is to set up, take it out of the box, press a few buttons, and it is ready to go. It is very intuitive to use, we didn’t need to read the manual in order to start using it, it was literally plug and play.

Despite not having read any reviews or reports of this device prior to trialling, it was easy to see the key features of this device straight away, and their benefits to improving road safety:

 

 

• When approaching a junction the display changes to dual screen, showing a photo-realistic image of the upcoming junction on the right of the screen, and the map on the left, so there can be no confusion as to what is approaching, and the onscreen navigation guides you into the correct lane.

• The device warns you when you are in the area of a speed camera, and it shows when you are over the limit, so it is much easier to keep to the correct speed (avoiding fines, and more importantly, accidents) than relying on glancing at the dashboard speedometer

•  The display is very clear to read, and is not distracting in any way, plus the voice is loud enough.

 

During our drive, a real pea soup of a fog descended over the moors, and my boyfriend frightened me with tales of the Hairy Hand of Dartmoor, that has grabbed the steering wheel of many a car at a certain spot, causing fatal crashes and loss of lives. The Hairy Hand did not get us this time, and the sat nav was a real godsend in showing the twists and turns and side roads ahead, when we could not see two feet in front of us.

 

 

Another useful feature of the device is that you can check for local points of interest – not just attractions, but supermarkets, petrol stations, hospitals etc. We used it to find the nearest supermarket for supplies after a blustery hike on the moors, which is not exactly an emergency situation, but you can see how this feature would be useful in one.

As well as helping with keeping safe on the roads, which I am convinced it does, this device was fun to use, and there were lots of little things that raised it above using a map or one of the GPS smart-phone devices.

My boyfriend cycles and knows all the little lanes of Devon like the back of his hand, but doesn’t always know their names, so he was excited to see and be told the names of them.

He also thought it would be useful of parents of backseat ‘are we nearly there yet’ kids to point to the sat nav when asked that question, as it shows you how long to the destination: ‘We will be there when the Sat nav says zero’.

All in all I can honestly say this is a great little device, and not having to rely on a fellow passenger (especially me) for directions is just the smallest benefit out of its many features, which definitely improve both the driving experience and safety on the roads. Which can only be a good thing.

 

Disclaimer:  I was sent the Garmin Nuvi 50 to review by Tesco Compare, but all opinions are my own and honest.