Looking at "Google maps" in a car is still illegal, say police.

[ujayujay]

Its simple to fix a smartphone on frontwindow (Suction cup, Clamb etc.). He was too stupid for this, so whats the problem?

[RetroGTAndrew]

Quite honestly he deserves to be busted using it handheld for navigation is no excuse, if you can afford to run a car and a mobile phone you can as sure as hell afford 200 odd Baht for a suction mount from any market / Phone stall.....

 

Everybody goes on about Google Maps, but to me it appears to be somewhat of a data hog!

You should try Waze (free download from Android or IOS App store) I've used it around Europe and 5+ years of driving in Thailand, Currently running Waze on a Samsung S7 Edge, I'm using a long arm suction mount (see pic), brought mine with me, but I've seen them for ~199 Baht I think, in Mr DIY in Seacon Square also a dual output Cigarette lighter power adaptor (from the same place), the high power output for the phone low power for the dashcam......

I was a little concerned at first but it copes quite well with elevated roads and main and frontage roads!

If you're going on a long drive it pays to have a look at what route Waze has in mind for you! But i guess that's true of any Sat Nav really, Waze is quite good at re-planning on the fly if/when you misinterpret a junction or turn off.

Add a cheap bluetooth in ear headset for when the little woman phones and you're all set....

Andrew

[ben2talk]

12 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

Dont have to look at any GPS they talk you to the destination.?

Actually that's not a good help.

Your phone should be mounted - I have a sucker that goes in the right edge of the screen and has an arm sufficient to hold the phone against the pillar. It sits just to the right of my horizon and is not at all distracting. Charger cable runs inside the pillar, under the steering wheel and into the radio USB - so it provides music and directions via the car system.

 

You often need to glance at it - valuable information about lanes, and situational awareness of position. It is far safer to drive when you know where you're going...

 

12 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He still needed to have his full attention on the road and should have used such things as earphones or an attachment to hold his phone in place on the dash.

It's clear that this article is simply badly written. The man was handling his phone... something I'd like to see more severely punished than a stupid 200 baht fine.

 

Just a silly sensational story from a country that really couldn't care less.

[ben2talk]

2 minutes ago, RetroGTAndrew said:

Everybody goes on about Google Maps, but to me it appears to be somewhat of a data hog!

You know you can turn off Data and just use Google Maps with your GPS, right?

BTW after testing Waze and Google, I deleted Waze. I just have a 2GB data plan - nothing too impressive.

 

[RetroGTAndrew]

 

18 minutes ago, ben2talk said:

You know you can turn off Data and just use Google Maps with your GPS, right?

BTW after testing Waze and Google, I deleted Waze. I just have a 2GB data plan - nothing too impressive.

 

Yep, know that, requires forward planning to ensure you've downloaded the appropriate off line map area...... Waze is a case of jump in car attach phone to mount plug in power and go (I do however have Samsung Tectile NFC tags on my car mounts that are set up to automatically launch Waze and start bluetooth, the same as back home).

 

Regards

Andrew

Edited July 22, 2017 by RetroGTAndrew
fixed image

[balo]

Wrong title of this thread, it's not illegal to use Google maps but it's illegal to hold the phone in your hand while driving. Same rules in most countries.

So imo they deserve a 200 baht fine, 

[AsianAtHeart]

3 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Right handed people, which are the majority, all have their controlling hand on the steering wheel in a right-hand car when driving on the left. as the gear changing and other activities are secondary, this is of course the correct way. 

I disagree.  While the right hand may be stronger and/or dominant in most right-handed individuals, it does not mean that the right hand does its best work on the steering wheel, leaving the less capable hand for all of the more intricate knobs, buttons, and shifting.  For myself, I prefer to steer with the left hand, as I think it actually steers more smoothly than my right, despite being more right-handed.  But maybe the more salient feature in favor of driving on the right is that if indeed the right hand/arm is stronger in the majority of people, in a perilous and tense situation, the driver is far more likely to pull toward the right, away from oncoming traffic, thus potentially saving lives.

 

As for using Google while driving….what if I can juggle three balls and still steer quite well on a unicycle--not needing even a steering wheel of any kind?  Will the police issue me a special permit to juggle my phone while driving? LOL!  On a more serious note, for the more average commoners, what if they are holding the steering wheel with the same hand that grips their phone--thus looking almost straight at the device, and never releasing the wheel either?  Would that be better than looking off to the side to check the map on the GPS?

 

Heh…when I was in college, I used to hold my textbook against the steering wheel with both hands as I drove down the freeway, memorizing useful facts for the morning's test during my hour+ commute.  Never had an accident.  In those days, I could handily steer with my knees too--even through towns, as long as the curves were not too sharp, leaving hands free for eating breakfast or something.  Ha!  (Not that I would recommend such risk-taking for those less dextrous--seemingly the majority these days.)

[ben2talk]

1 hour ago, AsianAtHeart said:

I disagree.  While the right hand may be stronger and/or dominant in most right-handed individuals, it does not mean that the right hand does its best work on the steering wheel, leaving the less capable hand for all of the more intricate knobs, buttons, and shifting.  For myself, I prefer to steer with the left hand, as I think it actually steers more smoothly than my right, despite being more right-handed.  But maybe the more salient feature in favor of driving on the right is that if indeed the right hand/arm is stronger in the majority of people, in a perilous and tense situation, the driver is far more likely to pull toward the right, away from oncoming traffic, thus potentially saving lives.

 

As for using Google while driving….what if I can juggle three balls and still steer quite well on a unicycle--not needing even a steering wheel of any kind?  Will the police issue me a special permit to juggle my phone while driving? LOL!  On a more serious note, for the more average commoners, what if they are holding the steering wheel with the same hand that grips their phone--thus looking almost straight at the device, and never releasing the wheel either?  Would that be better than looking off to the side to check the map on the GPS?

 

Heh…when I was in college, I used to hold my textbook against the steering wheel with both hands as I drove down the freeway, memorizing useful facts for the morning's test during my hour+ commute.  Never had an accident.  In those days, I could handily steer with my knees too--even through towns, as long as the curves were not too sharp, leaving hands free for eating breakfast or something.  Ha!  (Not that I would recommend such risk-taking for those less dextrous--seemingly the majority these days.)

ROFL yes, the knees. Not so easy with a bike - I had to remove the throttle-return spring on my old CB550 Honda so that I could adjust throttle for a fairly even cruise speed, then get out tobacco/Rizlas and roll one up without stopping. I had a Zippo, so it was fairly easy to light up as long as nobody decided to pull out in front of you...

[thehelmsman]

It's the ole ladies job to hold smart phone, as well as to hand feed me as I'm driving.

[Ace of Pop]

Dropped 3pins on Here we go maps via IPhone And also ran Honda Gps . The phone voice is nicer ,and plays through car speakers perfectly.Found no reason to look at either even in unknown area..You cant sit in Amazon and mull a route with the Honda thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Peterw42]

As others have said any gps/map device can be followed using voice prompts, (at the roundabout turn left etc ) so no reason to hold your device while driving.

An interesting story from a couple of years ago in Australia, I had a dash mount GPS with a female voice and the girlfriend hated it. Who is this woman telling us were to go, what would she know, its always wrong etc, I changed it to a male voice and all of a sudden the girlfriend loved it, it was great. Turned out she was jealous of another female in the car, telling us what to do.

[hansnl]

23 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

So ban gps then?

All those newfangled things!

 

[robertthesculptor]

Nice money making scam

[newcomer71]

If he was holding the phone in his hand, for once police did the right thing.

Edited July 23, 2017 by newcomer71

[williet98248]

22 hours ago, Oziex1 said:

I find google maps very helpful and just listen to the directions without having to look at the screen.

Just drove from Phuket to Chumpae and back using Google maps.  Over 700 miles each way.  Phone propped in front of the speedo and the nice lady talked to me all the way.  My friend's Garmin gps wouldn't find the satellites.  A couple of glitches and wrong turns but no real problems.  I had to learn that when she told me to 'tend left' it was only the frontage road. and when she said 'merge' it only meant that the road # changed not the actual road.  It also tends to look at the shortest route not the most convenient route.  Sometimes sending me off on secondary roads when I should have just stayed on the highway.  But got me through BK without a hitch.

[keithcresswell]

Presumably if I check my speed whilst driving I can also be fined. Or do I have to stop first before checking.

[Ace of Pop]

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