Beware of GPS

[Aurel]

It cannot replace using the brain...

Women escape sinking car after crashing into Mercer Slough | 911 | Bellevue News

[Evans, Marv]

I read this to my wife. She thinks GPS directions come from God.

[LakeCleElum]

Read that....Used to live in that area...........Funny stuff for sure.......I've used GPS for over 10 yrs.......A little common sense goes a long ways......

[Porsche-O-Phile]

LOL!

I'd love to hear the conversation with the insurance company about that one...

Now you know why I get so irritated with students (in airplanes) who are self-proclaimed whizzes with the GPS but can barely read a sectional chart or orient themselves with a VOR or NDB receiver...

Remember all those fancy electronic gizmos are only as good as the most inexperienced programmer working on the project with whichever lowest-bid company in India happened to get the contract... Never forget your basics.

[masraum]

Just "Wow"!

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by Aurel

It cannot replace using the brain...

Our up and coming generations might as well be born with out the logic/reasoning section of their brains. They with no longer need it.


Call me a grumpy old non-confroming holdout, but I still like the feel of a paper map/chart in my hands.

[GH85Carrera]

When I was in the North Carolina I was looking for all back roads and no interstates. My GPS found me some great roads. I stopped at a state sponsored rest stop and it had a lot of information about the Blue Ridge Parkway and figured that would be great. I punched it in and my GPS took me into a neighborhood and up a steep hill and the road turned to dirt. I figured it was a great road for a 4x4 but it sucked for my 911. I stopped and turned around, when back to the highway and the GPS was trying to reroute me right back up that hill. Within a mile there was a big sign pointing to the parkway. I went that way and I was on the parkway before my GPS decided that would be a good route.

I took my favorite picture of my 911 that day.

[rnln]

GPS company should sue the city. It's too dark to read from satellite, and refection from water looks like a nice flat road surface

[Joe Bob]

I like it when a GPS sends you four turns to the right when a left woulda done....

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

...NDB receiver...

You can navigate with that thing???
I thought that was just for country music or talk radio.

[Noah930]

Wow. I didn't know rental car companies rented Mercedes GLKs.

[imcarthur]

When I was frustrated & searching for a hotel in busy Modica in Sicily, it told me to turn right - down an alleyway with 50 ft of stairs. I didn't turn. In Siracusa, it led me down a narrow car-lined one way street that ended in an impassable narrow alley. My destination was at the other end. I had to back up & that was not fun. And it sometimes likes to take the shortest route, even if that means a single lane dirt road in the forest . . .

I learned to check the suggested route before I set out.

Ian

[teenerted1]

GPS= General direction Posibly Submerged

i think i know where that boat launch is...it isnt for power boats and i think the paking lot is gravel.

[doug_porsche]

For those unfortunate geographically impaired people, of which I am a card carrying member, the +'s out weigh the -'s.

It has saved me more time than it has wasted.

But it is fun to play the "GPS scavenger hunt" game occasionally. This is where you tell it to get you to a destination that you do know where it is and see how it gets you there. I have done this and found some great roads that I had never though of taking before. I have also had it get me within a 1/4 mile from my destination, and then it throws in a scenic detour of 3 or 4 miles.

I was using my GPS this weekend and it had me going north on Wadsworth, then it had me turn off Wadsworth and go east (Churchranch Rd) for about 3 miles to get on the highway (US36). Once on the highway, it had me go north west and get off on the second exit, which was the Wadsworth exit (maybe 2 or 3 miles on the highway). Distance from my exiting Wadsworth to where it had me get back on Wadsworth, about 1/2 mile.

And if you really want to have fun, set your Nuvi in "Fuel Saving Mode".

[azasadny]

They're that stupid... sober!

[gtc]

Here's the boat launch

[Aurel]

Last week-end, I was visting northern New Mexico, following GPS directions. On my way back, I decided to take some backroads to see nice scenery. Pretty soon, the roads the GPS was showing turned into dirt roads, and I was very glad I had the X-terra. I did over 70 miles of dirt roads, with some sections wide and flat as a highway where you can safely do 60 mph...It was a totally awesome sense of freedom and adventure. No speed limit, no traffic...

[Aurel]

Now, I understand why they put those signs:

[RANDY P]

dumb asses. How the hell can you mistake a boat launch for an off ramp? I know the area, you have to be blind to miss that.

(refraining from woman driver jokes)