'Death by GPS' a Growing Problem for Careless Drivers
Can a GPS unit kill you? Maybe not, but it can certainly help you do the job yourself.
A recent Sacramento Bee article looks at a growing problem: Drivers who literally follow their GPS directions into oblivion. In Death Valley, for example, incorrect and outdated GPS maps have killed unsuspecting visitors who wander down the wrong road and never come back.
Most of you reading this aren't planning to drive -- or to send your employees -- into Death Valley any time soon. But these tragedies actually illustrate a much bigger point about the dangers of relying on technology to keep you out of trouble.
Even here in Georgia, I have seen my share of cases where a supposedly up-to-date GPS system was completely, totally out to lunch. That includes routes along poorly-maintained backroads and pointers to non-existent gas stations or stores. It's not a problem for a local resident and typically just a minor inconvenience for me.
On the other hand, it could be a major problem if my wife, who isn't as familiar with the area, happened to be traveling alone. And for a business traveler, navigating unfamiliar territory at night or in bad weather, it could be something worse than that.
Of course, most of us carry cell phones that can save the day -- as long as they work. Will you bet your life on that?
Maybe this sounds like an exaggeration if you're reading this in a big city or a warm climate. But if you're in upstate New York, or out West, or in the Midwest digging out of the last blizzard, you know that many drivers are just one wrong turn away from a life-threatening mistake.
So here's a simple call for some common sense. Use GPS and other mobile devices the way they should be used: as simple conveniences. Carry a real map, understand the local climate, and don't hesitate to turn around and go back the way you came if your directions don't "feel" right.
Sometimes technology will fail. That's inevitable. But there's no excuse for being so lazy or complacent that a flaky GPS or a bad cell-phone signal can turn a glitch into a disaster.
