Lancashire man warned by police over illegal position of sat nav in windscreen

A Lancashire man driving to Manchester Airport has been stopped by police and warned about the positioning of his sat nav.
Police said the position of the device was a traffic offence because it clearly obstructed his view and was directly in his line of sight.Police said the position of the device was a traffic offence because it clearly obstructed his view and was directly in his line of sight.
Police said the position of the device was a traffic offence because it clearly obstructed his view and was directly in his line of sight.

Officers with Greater Manchester Police spotted the man driving on the M56 with a sat nav attached to the windscreen and directly above the steering wheel.

Police said they were concerned that the driver's view of the road had been obstructed by the positioning of the device which appeared to interfere with his line of sight.

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The driver was pulled over on the hard shoulder where police discovered that he was travelling with two small children in the back seats.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "This vehicle was stopped and the driver given advice regarding the placement of his sat nav.

"This was clearly obstructing his view and directly in his line of sight.

"You must have a full clear view of the road and traffic ahead, obstructing this is an offence.

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"There were two child passengers in the car which led us to take immediate action.

Police said the position of the device was a traffic offence because it clearly obstructed his view and was directly in his line of sight.Police said the position of the device was a traffic offence because it clearly obstructed his view and was directly in his line of sight.
Police said the position of the device was a traffic offence because it clearly obstructed his view and was directly in his line of sight.

"The driver having been given advice removed the sat nav to a more appropriate place."

The driver was issued with a traffic offence report (TOR) before being allowed to continue his journey.

How to legally mount your satnav in your windscreen?

According to Lancashire Police, the safest place for a satnav is low down on your windscreen, and to the far right, to minimise obstruction of your field of view.

This vehicle was stopped by police in Lancashire and the driver given a warning regarding the placement of his Sat Nav.This vehicle was stopped by police in Lancashire and the driver given a warning regarding the placement of his Sat Nav.
This vehicle was stopped by police in Lancashire and the driver given a warning regarding the placement of his Sat Nav.
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If this is not possible, then it may be acceptable in the centre of the windscreen, but you should position it as low down as possible.

Make sure you choose the right seat height and position to suit your individual shape and size before positioning your satnav.

Avoid fitting the satnav to a location that could cause injury to a driver or passenger in a crash, including locations where a deploying airbag may strike it.

Never fit the satnav high up on the windscreen. As well as severely restricting vision, placing a satnav high on the screen means that power cables could trail across the driver’s field of vision.