GPS

[Alison Dubois]

I was watching last nights episode and i'm the only
one on the planet who doesn't have a GPS.

How easy is it to follow the GPS and drive in to a
lake? (in this case Lake Michigan)

Shouldn't the driver still take notice of this huge
body of water that they are about to drive into?

And would this be driver error or GPS error?

[sharon]

Post by Alison Dubois
I was watching last nights episode and i'm the only
one on the planet who doesn't have a GPS.
How easy is it to follow the GPS and drive in to a
lake? (in this case Lake Michigan)
Shouldn't the driver still take notice of this huge
body of water that they are about to drive into?
And would this be driver error or GPS error?

Well, it happened on an episode of The Office, too, so in TV world, it's
apparently not uncommon. In real life, not so much. The GPS could
certainly give instructions that are not safe to follow. For example, there
could be a 20 car pileup on the freeway the GPS directs the driver to enter.
Or, the road might've washed out in a rainstorm or a tree might've fallen
across it. The GPS is essentially like having someone read a map to you
while your're driving. As the driver, you've still got to keep your eye on
the road and make sure it is safe to follow the directions. In the case of
the show, I figured that the GPS was directing them down a road that had
been closed or rerouted which is why they ended up in the lake. I've never
had the GPS direct me to drive anywhere but on a roadway.

I've got GPS in my car, it works great, but it isn't perfect. Some newer
streets or rural locations aren't on it. Sometimes there's a detour or a
road condition that makes it impossible to follow the instructions.
However, the best thing about the GPS is that, if you don't make the turn or
enter the road as directed, it recalculates the route and figures it out
from there.

Sharon

[Hunter]

In article <kb2ql.8224$***@newsfe15.iad>, ***@nowhere.com
says...

Post by sharon

Post by Alison Dubois
I was watching last nights episode and i'm the only
one on the planet who doesn't have a GPS.
How easy is it to follow the GPS and drive in to a
lake? (in this case Lake Michigan)
Shouldn't the driver still take notice of this huge
body of water that they are about to drive into?
And would this be driver error or GPS error?

Well, it happened on an episode of The Office, too, so in TV world, it's
apparently not uncommon. In real life, not so much. The GPS could
certainly give instructions that are not safe to follow. For example, there
could be a 20 car pileup on the freeway the GPS directs the driver to enter.
Or, the road might've washed out in a rainstorm or a tree might've fallen
across it. The GPS is essentially like having someone read a map to you
while your're driving. As the driver, you've still got to keep your eye on
the road and make sure it is safe to follow the directions. In the case of
the show, I figured that the GPS was directing them down a road that had
been closed or rerouted which is why they ended up in the lake. I've never
had the GPS direct me to drive anywhere but on a roadway.
I've got GPS in my car, it works great, but it isn't perfect. Some newer
streets or rural locations aren't on it. Sometimes there's a detour or a
road condition that makes it impossible to follow the instructions.
However, the best thing about the GPS is that, if you don't make the turn or
enter the road as directed, it recalculates the route and figures it out
from there.
Sharon

---
The basic comedic sub plot of that couple who slavishly followed the
GPS is-that they slavishly followed the GPS LOL! But also they are
ridged about EVERYTHING. That is why Archie had the wife "cut loose"
and cut of the tag on the mattress we all seen that says NEVER to cut
it off. Later, with this new found "freedom" the husband dared to do
something that to them was the equivalent of bungee jumping: Crossing
against the light! Of course the "Law of Unintended Consequences"
struck and the guy gets run over by a moped and Archie had to reel
back in the "monster" he created less they get hurt. It was that
slavish devotion to following the rules that let them be lead by the
GPS into lake Michigan despite seeing that huge lake right out in
front of him. The GPS said to drive there so that is what they did
LOL.

[d***@gmail.com]

Post by Alison Dubois
I was watching last nights episode and i'm the only
one on the planet who doesn't have a GPS.
How easy is it to follow the GPS and drive in to a
lake?   (in this case Lake Michigan)
Shouldn't the driver still take notice of this huge
body of water that they are about to drive into?
And would this be driver error or GPS error?

It is a combination of both. Drivers need to be alert to their route
and realize that the GPS, while a very good and useful tool, is still
simply a tool, and can not substitute for the grey matter between the
ears, or the Mark 1 eyeball.

There is the famous case in New York of someone turning right onto a
working railroad track. A quick Google search found similar case in
the UK, including one where the GPS sent people on a track along the
edge of a 100 foot cliff. I'm sure there are are other, similar,
cases.

I have a GPS that I use when I am out of town and I've found it very
useful. But I review the routes before I start out so I have an idea
where I'm going and that I'm really going to the right place.