There's such a thing as relying too much on technology. Searching Google for information or printing out an online map before a trip is one thing. But what about relying solely on a little electronic GPS device? It can get you lost, in a crash, or worse, killed.
Global Positioning System devices use satellites to triangulate your position on the planet. Various smartphone apps purport to do the same. And they're pretty accurate. Still, where you are on the Earth may not translate exactly to what roads, obstacles, or treacherous conditions await you.
Take this story in The Sacramento Bee, which quotes Death Valley wilderness coordinator Charlie Callagan:
"It's what I'm beginning to call death by GPS ... People are renting vehicles with GPS and they have no idea how it works and they are willing to trust the GPS to lead them into the middle of nowhere."
Or their using their own vehicles, with similarly bad, if not deadly, results.
Just ask my mom. I spent a couple of days recently in Wild Detroit, and used my iPhone and a GPS app to find my way around. Which worked well, most of the time. Exceptions include when I "lost my GPS signal" right before a critical turn, when the app was a few turns behind and told me to drive into a field, etc.
My mom calls the computerized female voice on my GPS app "your lady friend," and the voice seems to prefer side roads to highways, whether or not I switch between fastest, shortest and traffic modes. I did eventually get to my destination, but with the price of gas (more than $3 a gallon, not mention those nasty emissions) and these "Death By GPS" examples, it may behoove us all to plan out our trips a little better. We don't want to be "that person," as in dead, lost or generally looking stupid, driving with one eye on the device, another on the road, and our head in the clouds.
The Badlands, Furnace Creek. Not a Sunday drive. Credit: National Park Service.
In Death Valley, a dozen people have died in the last 15 years from heat-related illnesses, according to the same Sac Bee article. Managers of the national park, which stretches from California to Nevada, are working with companies to remove closed and hazardous roads from GPS maps.
A National Park Service warning about Death Valley is a good reminder for any traveler:
"Travel on the park's hundreds of miles of backcountry roads requires the correct type of vehicle for the road conditions, a vehicle in good repair with all necessary tools and replacement parts, and some knowledge of driving on rough dirt, gravel and 4-wheel drive roads ..."Cell phones do not work in Death Valley! Do not depend on them. In some cases there is spotty reception, but dependence on a cell phone in an emergency situation can be fatal. Check with the Rangers for specific recommendations on travel safety."
Feel free to share your harrowing stories below, or at least pass on this story to someone who "Drives With GPS."
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