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How satnav took our school trip up a back alley
Last updated at 21:22pm on 22.03.07The school outing to Hampton Court Palace ought to have been a fairly simple journey.
A glance at a map would have shown the coach driver that most of the trip was motorway, followed by about three miles through South-West London to the gates of King Henry VIII's stately pile.
But the driver chose to rely exclusively on his satellite navigation system - and 60 children spent the whole day being driven round in circles after it directed him to a narrow street in the north of the capital.
The youngsters did not get so much as a glimpse of the palace and a 63-mile journey that should have taken 90 minutes took eight hours.
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Hampton Court: Where they should have been (top) and where they ended up in Islington
One child managed to take a picture of the Houses of Parliament as the driver blundered into central London.
Eventually exasperated teachers gave up and the eight and nine-year-old pupils from Orchard Lea Junior School in Fareham, Hampshire, were taken back to the school.
The only break in their journey was a stop for the lavatory.
The incident brought a warning from the AA that drivers had begun following satnav directions 'like robots' and needed to have at least some idea of where they were going before setting out.
The sat-nav mistake that turned a school trip to a historic palace into a nightmare for two coachloads of children who spent seven hours being driven round in circles
"The whole event was a complete disaster" said driving instructor Barrie Cross, whose eight-year-old son Sam was on the trip. "If anything highlights the dangers of using satnav systems without proper understanding, this is it."
The problem began when the coach driver punched Hampton Court into his vehicle's satnav.
It directed him to a road of that name in Islington.
He and a trainee driver following with the rest of the pupils became hopelessly lost as they drove round the capital looking for the Tudor palace.
At one point a teacher got off to buy a map and when this failed to get the drivers back on track, another member of the
Lost: Sam Cross (right) and his friend Luke Coppard-Toms
At one point a teacher got off to buy a map and when this failed to get the drivers back on track, another member of the group rang the school for directions.
Mr Cross, 39, added: "They rang the school from Islington but in the end they had to abandon the whole trip.
"It would be laughable if it weren't for dozens of children being stuck, and missing out on part of their education.
"They are studying the Tudors and my wife Mandy and I had shown Sam the palace on the Internet and explained why it was important.
"When they came back they were really disappointed.
"All Sam had was a picture he took of Big Ben with a disposable camera put of the coach window."
Wrong way: A comedy of errors ruined the trip for about 60 year four pupils
Zenith Coach Travel apologised and pledged to reimburse the school and take the children on another trip free of charge.
The company, based in Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, also said its drivers were now banned from using satellite navigation and must instead rely on maps.
The Hampton Court in Islington is 18 miles from the palace, which is in South-West London and therefore easily accessible from Hampshire.
Zenith managing director Alan Jerrim said the drivers' problems were compounded by the fact that the children were riding in two coaches not yet fitted with a tracking device, allowing staff at the company's HQ to pinpoint their location and redirect them.
Mr Jerrim added: "They ended up in all the traffic and roadworks and God knows what else."
The headmaster of Orchard Lea Junior School, Brendon Carroll, said he was hoping a replacement trip would make it up to the children.
Paul Watters of the AA said: "We would advocate still using a map to double check where you are going. Motorists are starting to follow these systems like robots.
"Take a look out of the windscreen - if the road signs appear wrong then it is time to check your route.
"Every driver should have a little bit of knowledge about where they are going before they tap the details into a satnav."
Reader views (10)
This was not the teacher's fault. It wasn't the schools fault. It's certainly wasn't the kids fault. But it wasn't the satnavs fault either. Satnav is just the latest scapegoat for people's bad driving. This was just the fault of a driver who that day was either being stupid, lazy or both.
- F Flow, London, UK
Sat Nav is like Labour. We follow every direction and eventually end up at a dead end.
- Dan, Manchester
What's really worrying is that there were teachers on board who presumably had done at least some rudimentary background research on the place that they were supposed to be educating the children about. Presumably at some point they must have told the driver where the palace was?
- Trevor Roll, London
I am surprised that the teacher did not appear to know where Hampton Court is and had to resort to getting a map- which still did not help!
Education, we are going to visit Hampton Court which is situated in Surrey by the Thames. It is a very important Royal Palace where Kings and Queens, including Henry the VIII, stayed etc. etc.
This was meant to be an educational visit I take it. What a total all round shambles and shame on the school.
I hope for the return visit the children will be prepared for an exciting trip to a very beautiful and interesting Royal Palace steeped in history.
- Carol K, Nr. Ipswich Suffolk
Garbage in, garbage out. Anyone with any sense would have seen that Hampton Court N1 is in North London. You just can't get the staff these days. The drivers should be sacked. Sat nav is a tool, not an excuse to leave your brain at home.
- Erwin, Luton
Another day, another braindead idiot relying on a gadget to get around...except this idiot had a couple of dozen children in his care.
What is more worrying is that neither driver had clearly looked at the necessary route before setting off. Had they done so, I'm sure they would have known they had gone past their destination when they see the big clock and wheel by the river.
Maybe geography isn't their strongpoint.
- Md, London, UK
Shouldn't bus drivers especially school bus drivers have some basic knowledge of UK Geography? Just as well this bus driver didnt need his sat nav to remind him to breath.
- Fly, London
I do have a sat nav and use it regularly. However, before I set off I review the journey plan it has come up with. If I don't like it I will ask for an alternative route or set off using my own approx knowledge. The sat nav will recalc the route as the journey progresses.
Critisism should be made of the driver and not the technology.
- Jerry, Edgware, Uk
Just another example of people turning on an artificial moron and turning off their brains.
I don't have a sat-nav. Could easily afford one, but prefer to remain able to read (and more important, remember) maps. If you don't use it you lose it.
- Nigel, London
Sat Navs are supposed to give guidance and can not soley be relied upon when driving, common sense is also needed when using these. If you are a coach driver and you do not know how to get to some of Britains attractions without using a sat nav, you have no place on the roads!
- Brandon Thomas, London UK
