Skip to main content

Map Reading Skills

In Belgium a pensioner planning to drive 61km to a train station to pick up a friend made a somewhat longer journey than expected. The woman followed the advice of her satellite navigation system, which directed her through six countries in all and she ended up in Zagreb in Croatia, 1,440km from her original starting point. Despite seeing road signs in dierent languages, having to stop to refuel on a number of occasions and even parking in a roadside rest-stop for a sleep in her car, the woma
April 23, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
In Belgium a pensioner planning to  drive 61km to a train station to pick  up a friend made a somewhat  longer journey than expected. The  woman followed the advice of her  satellite navigation system, which  directed her through six countries  in all and she ended up in Zagreb  in Croatia, 1,440km from her  original starting point. Despite  seeing road signs in dierent  languages, having to stop to refuel  on a number of occasions and even  parking in a roadside rest-stop for a  sleep in her car, the woman was  not aware she had gone astray. Her  son, worried at her absence, had in  the meantime called police that  she was missing and a search had  commenced in Belgium. When she  realised her mistake on arriving in  Zagreb she was able to contact her  son and the search was called off. She did however have to drive  home another 1,440km. It is not  clear if she has bought a new  satellite navigation device, learned  to program the existing unit or  simply gone back to using a map.

Related Content

  • Bag becomes weapon
    February 22, 2012
    A UK pensioner took on a gang of six masked and helmeted robbers attempting to smash their way into a jewellers to steal valuable items. The thieves drove up on scooters and used hammers to try and break the glass windows of the shop in a bid to take watches and jewellery. Passers-by watched in alarm as the robbers battered at the glass, however the female pensioner showed no fear as she sprinted towards the thieves and began hitting them with her handbag. At this, the thieves realised their plot had been f
  • Benningoven builds special plant for Norwegian firm
    August 18, 2015
    Benninghoven has built an asphalt plant specially to order for a customer in Norway. Contractor Veidekke had a tight timeframe in which the plant could be erected at the firm’s chosen site in Sörli, as well as specific requirements as to its configuration. Benninghoven was able to construct the special TBA 4000 UC asphalt mixing plant to the firm’s request. A notable feature of the plant is that its large capacity materials towers stand 33m high. The order was received in January 2014, with the plant the
  • Low temperature asphalt and aggregate options’
    February 7, 2014
    At what point does ‘some technology’ become ‘enough technology’? Less than four years ago industry publications were filled with a persistent message, the reluctance of UK based contractors to adopt machine control to the same extent as near European neighbours, particularly close ones such as Ireland and Holland. However from 2009 onwards we have seen a huge shift in demand for machine control as the success of high profile road and rail jobs such as the M25 widening scheme and Airdrie – Bathgate rail
  • Tractor chase
    July 16, 2012
    A man in Germany has good reason to regret his drunken decision to steal a tractor when his girlfriend left him at a nightclub. The man stole the tractor and tried to drive home, despite the fact that he has no license. Police were alerted and up to six emergency vehicles then followed the tractor, which was trundling along at 20km/h. The officers made several attempts to stop the man, holding up 'stop' signs, attempting to fire a pepper spray through the open rear window and finally placing spikes on the r