What Car? Q&A - Where should I position my sat-nav?

Q: I'm seeing more and more portable satellite navigation systems suckered to car windscreens and am thinking of buying one. Are there any regulations regarding the siting of such devices within vehicles so they don't obscure forward visibility?
Mike Oxard

A: There are no specific regulations on satellite navigation systems, but all objects that can be stuck to your windows and windscreen are covered by the Highway Code and the Construction and Use Regulations of 1986.

Regulation 30 covers the 'view to the front' and says: 'All glass or other transparent material shall be maintained in such condition that it does not obscure the vision of the driver.'

The regulation doesn't detail what 'obscure the vision' means, however. Tax disc holders can take up more windscreen acreage than a compact portable satellite navigation unit, for instance, and there's no complaint about them.

So, stick the system out of the way and you'll probably be alright, especially if it only obscures your view of the bonnet and not the road. Sucker it in front of the steering wheel or right in front of your face and, unsurprisingly, you're likely to be on thin ice.

Probably the safest place to secure it on the windscreen is the top corner where the sunvisor can be folded down. If the visor isn't considered an obstruction of your view under the regulations it would be difficult to claim that anything else in this portion of the windscreen is either.

The Highway Code is more unequivocal, however, and says: 'Windscreens and windows much be kept clean and clear of all obstructions.'

On that basis the safest thing to do would be to secure it to the dashboard as the regulations only cover glazed areas.

All of this becomes academic if you seriously clutter your windows with ten A4 sheets of paper advertising your car for sale and your dashboard with a family of wobbly-headed Simpson dolls, big box of tissues, fluffy toy and the satnav. If you're weaving around avoiding things because you're driving half blind, you likely to be prosecuted for careless driving.