Truck-only sat-nav could prevent crashes
* Adapts according to vehicle size
* Criticised by Freight Transport Association
The first sat-nav designed specifically for lorry drivers has been launched.
The Snooper S2000 Proline TruckMate sat-nav takes into account height, width and other restrictions when recommending a route, steering larger vehicles away from roads they're too big for. The system also gives speed limit warnings according to the vehicle's size.
Stephen Ballard, managing director of the company that sells the sat-nav, said: 'We've worked hard to perfect products that don't get trucks stuck on country lanes, under bridges, in rivers or up mountains.'
However, the Snooper has already been criticised by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), which says that existing sat-nav technology could easily be adapted to lorry drivers' needs.
The FTA's Roads Policy Manager, James Firth said: 'Although the ultimate goal might be a complete directory of all height, weight and width restrictions, the time it will take to develop a system that can be quickly, accurately and - most importantly - reliably updated means that such a solution is a long way off.
'The technology to alter a route's bias in favour of major roads and against minor roads already exists in some computer-based route planning software, and solves some of the high-profile routeing problems.'
