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I fear for the generation of drivers who never learned how to navigate without some App or GPS. By using voice announced turn-by-turn directions, you loose a ce

by Aloha 10y ago

I fear for the generation of drivers who never learned how to navigate without some App or GPS. By using voice announced turn-by-turn directions, you loose a certain amount of situational awareness, this situational awareness is critical to preventing all sorts of troubles while on the road.

tombrossman 10y ago
I have found that when I use a GPS navigation device, it is only a secondary reference that I rarely look directly at. I also disable all audio output. I find them very useful for navigating through an unfamiliar area, but I mostly see the screen in my peripheral vision because I'm paying more attention to the road and signs, etc. I can see when a turn is coming up because the brightly colored line indicating my path on the screen bends, and I complete the turn having never looked directly at the device. I do look at it occasionally when going straight to have a sense of the next road name, distance until next turn, etc. Try this if you haven't already, because I found looking at the device too often was disorienting (especially in traffic circles or complex intersections) because the display lags slightly behind your actual position. You are absolutely right about situational awareness though. That's always top priority and any device that interferes with it should be disabled or repositioned in your field of vision.
rplst8 10y ago
Agree. Too many people are concerned with not missing their turn, and they will take extraordinary measures not to do so. If one misses a turn, too bad. Re-route. The number one concern of a driver on the road should not be getting to their destination - it should be operating the vehicle in a safe manner.
- pcora 10y ago
  It seems that more and more, people just ignore everything in transit to make that turn. Even if it means crossing a 4 lane road to turn left or right in less than 30m..
- drunken-serval 10y ago
  > Too many people are concerned with not missing their turn This is not a new problem.
- mikestew 10y ago
  Which is odd, because one of my primary uses of GPS is simply so that when I do miss my turn, it doesn't matter ("Rerouting..."). It's when I'm relying on memory or a paper map that missing a turn becomes an issue. I'll cross four lanes of traffic to make that turn because I don't have a readily-accessible Plan B.
Finnucane 10y ago
Yeah, I guess I am old, too. If I have to drive somewhere unfamiliar, I look it up and figure out how I'm going to get there before I leave the house. And this doesn't really happen that often; 98 percent of the places I drive to, I know how to get there.
- Aloha 10y ago
  I have many friends who cant even find their own house without GPS. It's somewhat disturbing

by Aloha 10y ago

tombrossman 10y ago

I have found that when I use a GPS navigation device, it is only a secondary reference that I rarely look directly at. I also disable all audio output. I find them very useful for navigating through an unfamiliar area, but I mostly see the screen in my peripheral vision because I'm paying more attention to the road and signs, etc. I can see when a turn is coming up because the brightly colored line indicating my path on the screen bends, and I complete the turn having never looked directly at the device. I do look at it occasionally when going straight to have a sense of the next road name, distance until next turn, etc. Try this if you haven't already, because I found looking at the device too often was disorienting (especially in traffic circles or complex intersections) because the display lags slightly behind your actual position. You are absolutely right about situational awareness though. That's always top priority and any device that interferes with it should be disabled or repositioned in your field of vision.

rplst8 10y ago

Agree. Too many people are concerned with not missing their turn, and they will take extraordinary measures not to do so. If one misses a turn, too bad. Re-route. The number one concern of a driver on the road should not be getting to their destination - it should be operating the vehicle in a safe manner.

pcora 10y ago
It seems that more and more, people just ignore everything in transit to make that turn. Even if it means crossing a 4 lane road to turn left or right in less than 30m..
drunken-serval 10y ago
> Too many people are concerned with not missing their turn This is not a new problem.
mikestew 10y ago
Which is odd, because one of my primary uses of GPS is simply so that when I do miss my turn, it doesn't matter ("Rerouting..."). It's when I'm relying on memory or a paper map that missing a turn becomes an issue. I'll cross four lanes of traffic to make that turn because I don't have a readily-accessible Plan B.

Finnucane 10y ago

Yeah, I guess I am old, too. If I have to drive somewhere unfamiliar, I look it up and figure out how I'm going to get there before I leave the house. And this doesn't really happen that often; 98 percent of the places I drive to, I know how to get there.

Aloha 10y ago
I have many friends who cant even find their own house without GPS. It's somewhat disturbing