Navman Blog Australia

Idiots did exist before mobile phones were invented but the devices have certainly been a wonderful catalyst for extremes of dangerous behaviour, and nowhere is that danger more pronounced than when they are being used behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Despite some successful experiments, automated cars are still far from being a feature of our daily lives. The infrastructure involved in moving to such a world, and the number of technological issues that need to be resolved, mean that we are still some years away.

Ahead of the Easter holiday weekend and ANZAC Day holidays, automotive technology brand Navman is backing Police calls to be extra vigilant on the roads

Typically, when you do a daily drive you are focused on getting from A to B as fast as possible, particularly if it involves a commute or an errand. You want to minimise turns or take the roads that move fastest – no time for dawdling. You simply plug into your GPS where you want to go and up comes the result. Simple.

Every parent or guardian knows full well what this time of year means: it’s back to school. Relaxed holiday routines are thrown out the window and now there is the added pressure of making sure the children get to school at the right time, often during peak-hour morning traffic or back home during busy afternoons.

Want some Christmas inspiration? No matter which grown up you’re buying for … we’ve got some fantastic ideas for presents for all types of drivers, priced from just $119 AND don’t miss out on our great Christmas cashback offer (gifts for them, cash back for you!)

How often do you check your tyre pressure? Once a year? Before a long road-trip? Well, we heard something interesting from one of our staff, whose husband works at a luxury car dealership’s aftercare service. The dealership was getting a lot of complaints from customers about the need to replace tyres of these cars far more frequently than they would have expected. The complaints were enough for the supplier of their tyres, to come in to have a chat with this dealership.

Growing up, we had a Kirby vacuum cleaner. I remember mum paid a ridiculous price for it, which the salesman justified because it “would never die.” This heavy, upright contraption would clunk around the house sucking up straight lines of dirt and dust, no matter how rough we were or how many times it was dropped down the stairs (“accidently” or not). It might have needed a tune up here and there, but as the salesman promised, all through my childhood and teens, this monstrosity refused to die.

At Navman we care hugely about road safety. It’s why we’ve spent so many years adding new features and fine-tuning how our devices provide guidance through visual, verbal, audio cues. We’ve studied how people drive in different circumstances, and we know that how they drive in urban areas is different to driving longer drives in rural areas.

We’ve been designing, developing and building the best satellite navigation systems for more than 15 years. In those early days our navigation and safety alerts were good but admittedly fairly basic and over that time we’ve brought out new features onto different devices as technology has evolved, processors have sped up and drivers have wanted better guidance, and more safety features.

Did you know that in most Australian states, if you’re a Learner, P1 or P2 driver, you can’t use can’t use your phone in the car at all, not even for maps on your mobile phone? From this September, in New South Wales you will lose five demerit points (up from four) if you are caught using your mobile phone while driving. Any Learner or P1 driver in NSW caught using a phone while driving will immediately lose their licence.

Winter is well and truly here in the Australian and New Zealand ski fields with big dumps of snow across the resorts. Whether your preference is skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, tubing or snow–shoeing, this is a great year to be driving to the mountains.

If you’re facing the tax time trauma of looking through your vehicle’s log book and wondering how you forgot to write down all the entries, there’s a simple solution at hand for next year. Use your Navman. Navman’s digital mileage logbook records your trip details and then produces mileage reports, making expense record keeping - and tax time - a breeze.

All insurance companies agree that having dash cam footage can help significantly in your insurance claim. What you need to know is that not all dash cams are built the same.

If you’re one of the lucky people heading off on the roads of Europe or North America to escape Australian or NZ winter, here’s one thing you must pack: your Navman GPS with international maps loaded.

We released our Big Rig Duo – first GPS and dash cam specially designed for truck drivers – in early May 2018 and we’re thrilled with feedback from two of the first professional truck drivers to use the product.

Did you know despite the wonderful world of social media, long haul truck drivers still use Citizen Band (CB radio) or UHF to talk to one another on the road? It’s because unlike mobile phones, there is always coverage wherever they are in the country (much like Navman) and it’s their own private channel with its own private language.

Few things say ‘happy’ like a dog with its head out of the window of a moving car. As a dog-lover, it might break your heart to deny your pet this simple joy, but failing to properly restrain your dog in a car could be the ultimate act of cruelty. Not only are you breaking the law in Australia, you could be putting your, your pet’s and your passengers’ lives at risk.

Planning to get away over the four day long weekend and don’t want to suffer the inevitable and much repeated question “Are we there yet?”? With mobile coverage often not great once you get out of cities and towns, you need some old fashioned fun car games up your sleeve to keep the kids occupied and make the time go faster for everyone.

A recent Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) report has revealed fuel prices are at their highest since 2015!* To help ease the damage this can cause your hip pocket we have compiled some handy tips on how you can cut down on the amount of fuel your car is burning. You’ll also be doing the environment a favour by lessening your greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint.

If you are planning a road trip for the Easter long weekend, here are some tips on how you can stay safer on the road including how your Navman GPS or dash-cam can really help make your journey as safe as possible.

Teaching your teenager to drive this year? We’ve got the ultimate guide for parents on how to make it stress-free

Who gets to choose the playlist, or which family member has right to the front passenger seat? Arguments over these issues can ruin the mood in the car or worse your holiday!

Buying a new car is always exciting, but it is a significant investment, so how do you find a car that is going to be perfect for you now and in the years to come? A car that may be great for one person may not be great for another. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you find the best car for you.

There must have been something in the air in the 80s because that decade produced a lot of songs about cars and driving. For your listening pleasure, we’ve compiled the top cars and driving songs of the 80s.

“Oh yay, it’s car rego time” – said no one ever. If you’ve wondered what that annual (or bi-annual depending on how you choose to pay) hit to the hip pocket payed for, here’s a quick breakdown:

How did we manage to get our kids to sporting grounds before the days of the GPS? Seriously, it is difficult enough to get one child dressed in a clean correct uniform on a Saturday morning, let alone find new playing fields in a new suburb.