In-Car Navigation Systems Too Distracting?

Lam1969 writes "A survey released by an insurance company shows that drivers with in-car navigation systems are more likely to lose concentration than drivers who unfold a map while driving. From the article: 'One in 10 motorists with navigation systems set off on their journeys without bothering to program their route, and more than half admitted that they then had to take their eyes off the road to input the details while driving. Nearly one in eight did not even bother to check out a route they were unfamiliar with and simply relied on the technology to get them to their destination.'"

Comments

And this is diffrent how?

[ZiakII]

Nearly one in eight did not even bother to check out a route they were unfamiliar with and simply relied on the technology to get them to their destination.

This is different how? Compared to people just using Mapquest to get where they need to be.

Re:And this is diffrent how?

[Aardpig]

How about the navigation software telling them to turn into a one-way street, driving the wrong way? I have an acquaintance who drives like this, blindly following the software without actually reading the road. It scares the hell out of me.

Re:And this is diffrent how?

[timeOday]

I don't even know what "check out a route" is supposed to mean. Of course you rely on the technology, whether computer or paper-based. (And guess what, the paper maps come from computer maps anyways.)

Anyways, I use a GPSMap 60CS with the car kit, and it is a invaluable, especially when driving around a new city in the dark.

But like anything, you must learn to use it. The GPS tracking itself is extremely accurate, but the maps are somewhat less so. You cannot drive safely or effectively if you watch the GPS too closely, and try to literally trace out your path on the map. Insteaad, you should glance at the GPS and see "OK, I need to get on I-15 going south," and then follow the road signs to do it. You use the GPS to give you knowledge of your next turn, but then you use your eyeballs through the windows to apply it.

Finally, you must not get a new GPS and set out on unfamiliar roads immediately. You need a little practice in your own neighborhood to instantly understand the displays and work the interface. I wonder if the subjects of this study were novice users of the devices? If so, that's a big limitation of the results.

Yet...

[MorderVonAllem]

...every single item mentioned in the article that applied to GPS Navigation systems could be applied to conventional maps, at least with a GPS Navigation system it could talk to you without you having to look at it (Tom Tom http://www.tomtom.com/ for instance). Then it would take your eyes away from it and on the road where it belongs.

However you do navigate, you must plan ahead.

-My $.02

Re:Yet...

[jo7hs2]

I think the real problem with the GPS systems is placement. We rented a car with GPS Nav recently, and it was infinately more dangerous for me to use while driving then either my handheld GPS, or a map which I could unfold on the steering wheel only to the part I need. To use the GPS as installed in most vehicles, you have to move away from the steering wheel with at least one hand, and as such I would compare it more to the dangers of using a radio then a map. As per the talking, I find the talking fairly distracting too, but in addition, the talking features as well as the bells and whistles and real time updates become a constant distraction, whereas a map is a one shot deal, and plus, the talking might lull you into thinking you could use it while driving, while many people (most of the time meyself included) will pull over to use a map.

A shift in driving

[Statecraftsman]

Since the customerwants to do other things while driving and the customer is always right, I don't see the distraction factor going down no matter what kind of enhancements are made to the nav system. What this really illustrates is that drivers are bored with driving.

We need a more active accident avoidance system and other systems to reduce the need for driver intervention. If the driver wants to be less involved in the act of driving, the vehicle will naturally need to take up the slack.

Re:A shift in driving

[kisrael]

I don't see a reason why the route for the NAV system should be set or modified while the car is in motion. The idea can also be applied here: Don't even let the driver create the distraction.

That is the most retarded kind of lawyer-friendly nannythink possible.

For me, route changes come up ALL the goddamn time when I'm on the road. Driving is rarely predetermined.

Frankly, me finding a goddamn place to pullover and come to a dead stop on the highway shoulder to change the f'in target destination sounds about 10 times more distracting than tapping a few controls. I'm not fiddling with the damn thing for the hell of it.

Maybe we should make it so you can't change the radio station when the car is in motion. I mean, you pretty much know what you want to listen to when you head out, right?

Or climate controls...just set it, forget it, right? Pulling over to set the defrost when your window is fogging up is a small price to pay for less distracted driving.

Screw that. I will work to NEVER, EVER buy a GPS system that can't be rerouted while in motion. As long as there's one brand of "sit on the dashboard" nav that lets me do that, that's the one that will get my money. (Sit on the dashboard units are more economical anyway, though they're less good when the signal is blocked)

Cars have this already

[Anonymous Coward]

BMW M5 and the new Mercedes S-Class already have this.

well this is a problem but..

[bLindmOnkey]

i'd argue that cell phones are worse. In the past year I've had some close calls with other cars on many occasions. When I glance at the driver 9 out of 10 of them were people yapping away on their cell phones, usually forgetting to turn their heads left, right, and/or behind them. I find myself cursing at these people helplessly from inside my car. nevertheless, anything on the dash can be distracting, ESPECIALLY a brightlit 7 inch screen with moving things on it. I took a roadtrip with a buddy using my laptop for GPS (i was the trip's navigator). I told my friend(the driver) to keep his eyes on the road while I told him where to turn based on the GPS nav(in addition to the computer voice in case he missed it.) Yet, Every few minutes or so I'd catch him glancing down at the laptop screen on my lap instead of paying attention to the 18 wheeler in front of us. Luckily I caught him most of the time and nothing happened but it's reallly easy to see just how dangerous distractions can be on the road.

Re:well this is a problem but..

[j-turkey]

i'd argue that cell phones are worse. In the past year I've had some close calls with other cars on many occasions. When I glance at the driver 9 out of 10 of them were people yapping away on their cell phones, usually forgetting to turn their heads left, right, and/or behind them.

I think that we'd probably both agree that it's not the technology that's at fault. It's the drivers themselves. We're not all bad drivers (and we're certainly not all good drivers) -- however, many of us are easily distracted from driving. It doesn't matter what it is: cell phones, Nav systems, passengers, climate control, beverages, or a newspaper (yeah, I saw some jerk reading the newspaper while driving on my way to work last week). Some people are simply distractable while behind the controls of an automobile.

There is no easy solution, but I believe that scaling back speed enforcement and enforcing other traffic laws might be a good start. People who weave in and out of lanes without signaling (or without intending to) are usually not paying attention to their driving. It doesn't matter what they're doing that's causing them to weave. They're not driving well and should probably be cited for it. Education would probably also help, but I'm just not sure that mandating real driver education is entirely possible in the US. Our wide-open culture wouldn't allow it.

I am shocked!

[gold23]

Is it really so surprising that navigation systems (and cell phones, and anything else that is not driving) serves to distract the driver from the important task of keeping their eyes on the road, and their concentration on keeping their car from impacting some other object?

If they didn't want to introduce that hazard, they should have designed the system to blank the screen unless the car is in "park". Lost? Pull over and consult the map.

I notice it much more, of course, with cell phones, since you can tell someone is using one. Almost invariably, when I see someone drifting across lanes, or stopping short because they were about to run into another car or a pedestrian, these days, they are chatting on a phone.

Re:Puh-leeze...

[ChildeRoland]

"The nice thing about a map is that everyone understands how to use it."

The sad thing is how false that statement is.

Re:Quick idea

[tompaulco]

Require the car to be in park in order to operate the GPS. This way, you can't program a new route while driving.
The first thing I thought when the article said that "1 in 10 didn't bother to program the unit before setting out" was that their statistic was measuring the wrong thing AND it was still not an accurate reflection. I only program my GPS about 1 in 10 times, usually only when I am going to a new place, and like most GPS units, it can ONLY be programmed while sitting still. Mine doesn't go off of being in park, but off of the output from the Vehicle Speed Sensor. Only preprogrammed destinations can be pulled up while you are moving (unless you know the secret override keypress sequence, which I can never remember).
Actually the fact that most GPS units can not be programmed while driving is quite annoying when you have a passenger along to help you, or when you are driving on a long stretch of practically empty highway and feel like playing with the GPS.

Darwinian dashboards

[jheath314]

Actually, the one that really gets my goat is TVs built right into the dashboard. With all the fuss people raised about cell-phones being distracting, I have no idea how auto manufacturers managed to slip this one under the radar. (In theory the TV is supposed to be off unless the vehicle is in park, but the safety switch is easy to disable and many ethically challenged auto shops will do it for you.) How any sane government could have let this pass regulations just blows my mind.

OTOH, maybe they did it on purpose. GM: Better Drivers through Darwinian Selection.

Re:Darwinian dashboards

[glitch23]

GM: Better Drivers through Darwinian Selection.

Actually that would even be incorrect as it doesn't make the existing/remaining drivers any better, but instead just removes the more worse (not necessarily bad just not as good as the better ones) drivers from the road. The same can be said for "evolution".

The Flipside

[That's Unpossible!]

I have a navigation system. The thing is completely crippled while driving due to morons like the ones in this study. It's like, because some people are complete morons, responsible people can't use the system as intended. I don't talk on my cell phone while driving. I don't punch in a new address in my nav system while driving (my old one let you do that). However, my passenger could! Nope, not with these wonderful new lawyer-ized systems that have navigation warnings when you start the car. Every time you start the car. Not with these systems that require your parking break to be on in order to use most of the functionality.

How about a screen when you boot the device up for the first time ever:

"Please punch in your driver's license number and name, and click 'I Agree' if you agree that any accidents you may have while driving using this navigation system are your responsibility alone, and you agree not to sue us."

Re:Eyes off the road for 10 seconds @ 60mph?

[AlterTick]

This pretty much makes me not believe what these people have to say. I cannot believe that it is possible to repeatedly drive blind for 10 seconds at 60mph without incident.

"Eyes off the road" != "driving blind". Peripheral vision is usually adequate for most people to keep the car pointed in the right direction and catch things like brake lights. Looking over at your nav system for 10 seconds at a time is indeed quite possible. You see, it's not a matter of vision, but a matter of attention. Most of the time the other drivers around you are behaving in a predictable manner. It's when an unusual event (tire blowout, objects in the road, etc) occurs and your attention cannot be brought back to the road quickly enough to avoid an incident that you get in trouble.

Take some responsibility for yourself

[russ1337]

Firstly:

1. Insurance companies will find any excuse to say that someone is a hazard and increase their premiums - smokers, phone users, ppl who wear glasses, people with bad credit or no credit history - (Like if you just moved here from New Zealand and have no credit history in the USA) "people with no credit crash cars! hand over your cash!!" etc

2. The report says that "people who dont set their destination before they leave" and then try set it while they drive... Well that is like trying to read a regular map by yourself, or following mapquest instructions once you've made a wrong turn... Its called driving people!! That is what you have to do first!!! These people may as well bake a cake.

3. People who are new to the technology think they have to watch it while they drive... not true, your DRIVING HALF A TON OF STEEL AT 70MPH!!!! Keep your eyes on the road!!! The GPS is an aid just like your speedometer and your fuel gauge. DONT STARE AT IT YOU FOOL!!!! [slap slap]

4. I have a Navman iCN-510 in car GPS and I set my destination BEFORE I hit the road, then I leave it. If I need to adjust it, I pull over into a car park. Once you are acustomed to all the information on the screen, you know how to glance at the information you need without losing concentration - No different than reading the fuel guage - [oh, the GPS wants me to go straight ahead, ok]... You need to be acustomed to the information. Try being a passenger and learning how the thing displays upcoming turns, etc.

5. Pilots have a simple rule: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate! Its in that order for a reason. Concentrate on DRIVING first!!!!, then concentrate on where you are going - This exit, or the next exit?... and FRICKEN INDICATE - its not hard. If you cant make an off ramp, use the next one!!!!!

6. Did I mention that insurance companies will find any reason to up your premiums? oh, I did? well if your going to drive that car, then you have to pay more!!! muuuaaaahhhhhaaaaa

7. Get real, and take some responsibility for yourselves people!! Its not the GPSs', its the muppets that dont concentrate on driving.

GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

misleading headline

[Temsi]

The problem isn't the system, but the driver.
The headline suggests the system itself causes distraction, when nothing could be further from the truth.
I've used both maps and a navigation system, and the navigation system is about a zillion times better.
If the driver programs the route WHILE DRIVING, the driver is a total moron.

Place blame where it belongs, with the driver, not the technology.

For crying out loud...

Re:Puh-leeze...

[Technician]

I'll bet if you looked closer, you'd see that the idiots who "lose concentration" don't really know how to use the system. The nice thing about a map is that everyone understands how to use it. It's still massively dangerous. If you know how to use your nav system, it's easier than a map.

I second that one. Before I got a car with GPS, I spent too much time looking in the trees trying to read street signs. It's an easy way to hit the kid on the bicycle crossing from the other way.

Now I watch where I am going and know to take the next turn when the car announces "Next Left". I no longer bother trying to read the street signs. Who decided on green signs? They blend in nicely in the row of trees in residencial streets.

After dark, I use the display off feature to reduce the dash glare and clutter.

I have a Prius. It is one of the systems that disable input while in motion.

Alternate Headline

[NiteShaed]

How about "Drivers who misuse GPS are road hazards".

From the summary:

'One in 10 motorists with navigation systems set off on their journeys without bothering to program their route, and more than half admitted that they then had to take their eyes off the road to input the details while driving.

It's never even occured to me to try doing this. If people insist on doing something dumb with a device in their car, it's not the device's fault, it's the [mis]user's.

This is less safe than a map how?

[TenLow]

I have no idea what brand it was (pioneer or something), but a friend of mine has a nav system in his element. Maps are WAY more dangerous, because well, you have to look at a map. Once you've typed in the endpoint, it tells you when to turn and whatnot. No human interaction is needed after you've set the waypoints. When was the last time a paper map spoke up to let you know you missed your exit or to tell you traffic is slowing ahead?

Re:Puh-leeze...

[osoese]

Nearly one in eight did not even bother to check out a route they were unfamiliar with and simply relied on the technology to get them to their destination. Isn't that supposed to be the point fo a nav system anyway? I might have a map for a backup, but with the cost of these things, I'd like to think that they had better work. For those of you who have pre-planned (meaning you hopped on Google Maps or Mapquest first), how many times has that led you to the proper spot? I took directions to a car lot off of MapQuest and arrived at the back of the holding lot, seperated from the ,main entrance by barbed wire fencing, and located on a dirt pot hole infested street. I thought it was funny, though, becasue I DID arrive at my destination. The point is that technology has some issues, but its still better off than the alternative, which seems to be that I am supposed to verify each and every point on a route before the trip according to that comment. I'd rather have a small snag in a few trips among many and enjoy the benefits of the 99 out of a 100 times that the Nav system worked.