A reason not to rely on GPS systems

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

I guess some folks need a clue....

 

Apparently GPS disables your brakes...

 

Gee, if your that stupid just do us all a favor and stay in the SUV while it goes under water.

 

Sounds like a good candidate for the Darwin award...

 

After being released they rented another vehicle and drove off. Somehow there is really something wrong with that picture.

 

My buddy Bob sends his GPS - "Jeepus" as he callls her - into fits sometimes. He wants to go one way, and she wants him to go her way! She finally gets exasperated and sighs, "Recalculating..."

Another buddy and I were out in the forest on our trusty KLRs. His GPS showed 'ROAD' for the little deer trail we were on, and indicated it connected to a highway further on. It did. After we ended up in some feller's back yard. Ah well, we were out 'adventure riding' anyways, so it was all good!

 

I just heard a bit about this on local talk radio (KIRO-the Dori Monson show) and he stated that the women who were driving the car could not speak English. Given that Washington is one of 3 states that gives illegal aliens drivers licenses and 'legal' ID cards, its being theorized that this was a car full of illegal aliens. Yet another reason why Driver's license tests should only be given in English as well.

 

Ideas for the amphibious SUV

I believe that the car hire company is fitting its SUVs with a less user friendly ship's compass, chronometer and sextant navigation system when the Costco convention comes to town.....perfect for the drivers that are all at sea.

On a different note.....I wonder how the "I was only following my GPS" defence might have worked for Teddy Kennedy??? : O

 

They had GPS back then.....? WOW!

There have been other stories in the news over the past few years of people blindly following what the gadget tells them. One German fellow drove into a building. Danged stupid thing to place on a road........

 

Ive been using G.P.S on my boats for several years. They are really a god send when you are in fog or the dark. Still no one should run on plane at top speed when you cant see whats in front of you. I have been out on Lake Michigan when the fog was so thick you could not see a boat length in front of you . G.P.S is nice when in those types of situations. The truth is though that they are not 100% accurate all of the time. Many times mine have shown my boat on land when I was 50 feet or so out from shore. This is more a map problem though.

Military (W.A.S.S) IS BETTER. My Lowrance units pick it up about half of the time. Its way more accurate. One way to test the accuracy of your unit is to sit in one place and watch you cursor. If it moves around while you are sitting still you can judge the distance in feet that its off or fluctuates. When I have good connection mine are pretty close (within 5 feet or so).

I own three Lowrance 3500C color units. These are older ones that require the little white antenna . These things are great for precision trolling (fishing) We use G.P.S. for returning to weed edges and certain hot spots on lakes that we fish. On Lake St. Clair where we fish for Muskies using a G.P.S. is one of the most important tools we have in the arsenal. Otherwise its all guesswork. Kingfish

 

My wife uses the danged thing but I refuse to. Just old fashioned I guess. If I do not know where I am I simply stop and look at the map(why should you be without one?????). Even on long trips the map books cover most every road. I keep several state maps in my briefcase and two states in all the glove boxes. Also in my brief case are about a dozen detailed county maps that show even small streams, churchs, grave yards, etc. There are some folks who NEVER get off the beaten paths either to the grocery store or other normal places to go. My MILaw was one mile from her home when we came in a different way and asked, "where are we". My wife is almost as bad when I go a different way. She says, "what if we get lost"--what better way to find out the roads and their relationships to each other.

 

I dont use them in our cars. I would never trust one with my life on a road. But stopped and used for locating your approximate position is a good way to find out where you are if lost. I have one portable unit called a H20 by Lowrance that I use in the woods so I dont get turned around and lost. KF

 

My little GPS is the Magellan eXplorist 200- bare bones and severely outdated today - got it in 2006. Batteries only, no up/download ability - what it has onboard is ALL it has, mapwise. Monochrome screen, and it only goes down to highway and major city street level - no rural roads or trails. For my use on the M/C, it's fine. It is rain (and hail!) proof, and has bounced off the road a couple times - the early self-made mount self-destructed! Shows my accurate speed and heading, and keeps me going the right way - I can see much quicker if I get offtrack than by stopping 20 miles further on and pulling out a paper map. But, I ALWAYS carry a map and compass too! It's a tool, and I will NOT bet my life on it.

 

This is just an excuse so that some money grubbing lawyer can get wealthy sueing all of the GPS companies.

 

My parents have a GPS and I found it especially handy for driving in a city that I know to locate an address. It's kind of nice not to have the paper with the address in one hand, trying to read it while driving down the road.

 

I can be at the stop sign across from my house with the GPS set for Home, & it'll be telling me "Turn Left, Turn Left". Wanting me to go a mile down the road. Coincidentally Google Maps has me living a mile down the road too. Just in the Other direction from my home!! LoL