Is GPS Navigation a Dangerous Distraction?

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/article/GPS_Nav_May_Be_Dangerous_Distraction/1140554400' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/article/GPS...tion/1140554400</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A British auto insurance company said on Tuesday that in-car GPS navigation systems might be doing more harm than good by distracting drivers. Even more surprising, the company's findings suggest that navigation systems could be more disruptive than trying to read a map at the wheel... Possibly to blame is the fact that one in ten drivers with navigation systems do not input a route before leaving. Furthermore, half of those drivers admit that they have actually attempted to enter a route while driving. Nearly one in eight say they rely solely on GPS to get to their destination without checking the route first. While the technology for the most part is accurate, occasionally there are mistakes that could put the driver in danger, such as driving the wrong way on a one-way street."</i><br /><br />We're starting to see more GPS-equipped Pocket PCs in the market - primarily due to a decrease in production costs and an increase in consumer demand. Now, more than ever, we're using our mobile devices (and other in-car navigation systems) to help us get from A to B. But just how safe is it? A recent report by Privilege Insurance (a British insurance company) suggests that GPS navigation is actually more of a distraction than a helping hand. What do you think?

[Jason Lee]

It is a lot safer for me. Of course I always enter my route before driving, often even before i get in the car. :)

i-guidance (and i'm sure others) will actually run through a virtual trip for you if you want to test it.
I don't have to look at the map or b**ch at my navigator for missing a turn. :) Much safer for everyone involved.
If a stop over is needed I pull over or have a passenger look up where the nearest mcdonalds is located. ;)

[hazcaddy]

Maybe there should have been a third question: "do you find it occasionally distracting" rather than "dangerously distracting". Because yes, I do occasionally look at it when I should be looking at the road. However, when things get really busy I just listen to the voice prompts and look outside where I should be looking.

Entering destinations while driving is of course dumb. :roll:

[Jacob]

Anything that is a distraction while driving is a dangerous distraction.

A beautiful woman walking down the street can be also. I've met people who have gotten into accidents because them and/or others were distracted by one such woman.

[rob_ocelot]

It is a lot safer for me. Of course I always enter my route before driving, often even before i get in the car. :)

i-guidance (and i'm sure others) will actually run through a virtual trip for you if you want to test it.
I don't have to look at the map or b**ch at my navigator for missing a turn. :) Much safer for everyone involved.
If a stop over is needed I pull over or have a passenger look up where the nearest mcdonalds is located. ;)

Unfortunately the virtual trip mode in iGuidance runs only in real time at a speed of 55 Mph with no way to speed that up. It's really only of limited usefullness.

As for GPS's being distracting it's all relative to the myriad of other distractions you normally have while driving -- passengers, music, weather conditions, etc. Your success in dealing with these depends on your ability to tune out unimportant infomation and unconsciously prioritize which information is important, and also your ability to multitask.

Not everyone is good at doing this -- hence the reason why laws need to be created to protect those who are unable to recognize that they aren't as capable as others. &lt;-- I know the above sounds condescending, but at least it's honest. It's basically 'Warning: Coffee is Hot' legislation.

[msafi]

i voted that GPS is NOT a dangerous distraction because i never used one in my life.

[Sven Johannsen]

Not only no, but heck no. Of course you can make it be a distraction if you wish, as can the burger in your face, the sports event on the radio, or the map held to the steering wheel. Given that you can input the destination in, it should be no more distracting than having a co-pilot giving you directions from the pasenger seat. The Nav is likely better at finding a new route if you miss a turn as well. Glancing at the PPC in the cradle, should be significantly less distracting than picking up the map from the passenger seat, figuring out where I am on it and trying to figure out what's next.

Wish they would quite legislating for things I might do. Lets concentrate on suitable consequences for things I actually screw up. Driving while distracted shouldn't be an issue. Causing an accident, while driving distracted is a different matter.

[SteveHoward999]

Just because some people think they can use GPS and not be distracted from their driving, that does not mean GPS (or a phone, or a nagging wife or a pretty bottom) is NOT a dangerous distraction. Anything that takes your attention away from the road is a potential hazzard.

Of course there is also the "my driving is good, it's everyone else who is a problem on the road" syndrome ... :-)

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Man, I am dreading the sure-to-come legislation that will eventually rise up in an effort make driving safer... similar to what's been slowly happening with the use of cellphones.

Of course, anything that takes your attention away from the road is a potential hazard and because there will always be people that don't abide by the safety guidelines that every vendor attempts to define for this type of device, there will likely be laws in the future that will impact how we use GPS today.

That said, I love my GPS device and now cannot imagine driving without it. GPS devices are not ubiquitous yet but they eventually will be IMO. Once that happens, it's probably only a matter of time I think before people start getting as passionate about cellphone use as they do about GPS use in a car.

[milo]

I've found it dangerously distracting on occasion. However this is due to my Ipaq being a piece of the proverbial. Each time the damn thing locks up or crashes then having to do a soft reboot, activate bluetooth, fire up Oziexplorer then link up to the GPS again.

[SteveHoward999]

I've found it dangerously distracting on occasion. However this is due to my Ipaq being a piece of the proverbial. Each time the damn thing locks up or crashes then having to do a soft reboot, activate bluetooth, fire up Oziexplorer then link up to the GPS again.

See there's nothing dangerous about the iPaq crashing. The dangerous part is you refusing to pull over to reboot etc ...

[Peseta]

In The Netherlands there lately have been a few instances of police fining drivers for having a GPS device mounted on the windshield "because the law forbids anything disturbing the view of the driver".

Of course an insane action.
The real dangerous situations occur when drivers avert their eyes from the road to look down as with many built-in GPS systems and with maps on the steeringwheel in the "good ole times".

I use a navigation solution on my PPC since it's available in The Netherlands (exactly 4 years ago next month, Alturion at the time).
I sincerely believe that it's made my driving saver when driving in unknown surroundings: not looking at a map or driving instructions anymore, averting my eyes from the road, or hesitating at crossroads which can be unpredictable for other participants on the road.

Of course I never put a destination in during driving and always pull over during rerouting. Just like I never change the radiochannel, volume or CD, I never drink or eat and I never phone while drving my car :lilangel:

[genius74]

Just because some people think they can use GPS and not be distracted from their driving, that does not mean GPS (or a phone, or a nagging wife or a pretty bottom) is NOT a dangerous distraction. Anything that takes your attention away from the road is a potential hazzard.

Of course there is also the "my driving is good, it's everyone else who is a problem on the road" syndrome ... :-)

Exactly... One more thing for people who can't pay attention to the road to be distracted by... It's not meant to be taken personal, IMO, it should be looked at concerning the entire driving population.

[Sven Johannsen]

Just because some people think they can use GPS and not be distracted from their driving, that does not mean GPS (or a phone, or a nagging wife or a pretty bottom) is NOT a dangerous distraction. Anything that takes your attention away from the road is a potential hazzard.

Of course there is also the "my driving is good, it's everyone else who is a problem on the road" syndrome ... :-)

Exactly... One more thing for people who can't pay attention to the road to be distracted by... It's not meant to be taken personal, IMO, it should be looked at concerning the entire driving population.

Then they should outlaw freakin everything. No more radios, CD players, kids in the back without opaque barriers and soundproofing...drive through fastfood should be banned, heck, take out should be banned because we can't be trusted not to sneak a fry on the way home, and God forbid the cop sees your lips moving as you are talking to a passenger. Lets legislate everything...that's the solution.

[G M Fude]

I've found that when driving away from my home city, having the GPS tell me which way to go enables me to concentrate more on road conditions and traffic, than if I was busy looking for street signs or changing lanes at the last minute to make an unfamiliar turn that came up sooner than I thought.

A definite 'No' to it being a distraction.

[davea0511]

Let's outlaw pencils. Man, those things are sharp. You could poke your eye out!