"I blame my satnav for what happened."

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR is just jealous because Mohammed’s car started in the cold…

What racial stereotype? The article states that nobody could understand him, which infers that his english isn’t great.
If he was on his backside because of a lack of drugs, he wouldn’t have been driving a car.

which infers implies that his English isn’t great.

FTFY.

He could have had some kind of speech impediment. Coupled with a moderate foreign accent perhaps.

Yes it’s true he might not be the brightest guy around but leave off him. Wtf are you trying to gain by slagging him off on the internet?

I really hope that statement wasn’t aimed at me, but the thread in general. I haven’t called the poor bloke stupid, a numpty, or used any sort of racial stereotyping. Just pointing out that if, as seems likely due to his name, and that his wife was visiting relatives in Morocco, he’s likely a pensioner from a North African country who probably emigrated here rather than being born here so he’s likely got a fairly strong accent. I work with a Maltese woman in her fifties who’s very difficult to follow sometimes, and another bloke from St. Helena also with a pretty pronounced accent who can be a bit difficult to follow on occasion, so a bloke of 72 who’s first language likely isn’t English, who’s tired, confused, anxious, upset and lost, trying to get directions to someplace over a hundred miles away, is going to have difficulties. It’s also fairly likely that if he’s lived in Trowbridge for some time he may have a local Wiltshire accent added to his natural one. Poor bloke, I really feel for him, and I’m really glad he was found and got home safely. A lot of folks aren’t very understanding or helpful when they’re busy.

Count stop assuming/generalising and drawing conclusions on limited info available. Chinesemen have been on british warships/lived in liverpool for centuries.

‘The blacks’ didn’t first arrive in the 50’s on boats. They were here before then as well.

Jews were in centuries ago.

Crazy legs – maps are very cool. We have all the OS maps like ever at my work, tucked away in map drawers. If I’m good and promise not to breathe they let me look at them sometimes its so cool seeing what used to be where your house is !

I hate Sat Navs too, irritating voice and they do stop people using common sense, not to mention distracting, and often just plain WRONG. My road map has saved us from the the Sat Nav many times. What is difficult about a bit of planning ??

Sorry nothing to add to the thread about the poor guy getting lost for three days.

… sat navs (or prat navs as he calls them) and how they remove any sense of where you actually are, how people using them just don’t think, how they’re regarded as infallible and people slavishly follow their every word.

however, exactly the same charge could be made at those that use the underground map. The Underground map removes any sense of where you are geographically (although yes, it does sustain a sense of where you are relationally). They are slavishly followed regardless of the senselessness of the route compared to the reality of the topography (say Mansion HOuse to st Pauls)

More people walking around london rather than ramming themselves into a cigar tube would do wonders for the mental and physical health of the capital ! 😉

I really hope that statement wasn’t aimed at me, but the thread in general

It was aimed at anyone slagging the poor bloke off 🙂 Beyond pointing out that which I’m sure he understands himself, that is he had a bit of a numpty moment as we all do from time to time.

And sat-navs do not STOP you doing anything. It’s a rolling map that tells you where you are. If you rely on it and don’t bother to figure out where you are in general, then you are a numpty.

We have built in satnavs in two cars, they both also contain road atlases.