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In-Car Navigation Systems Too Distracting?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the don't-look-at-the-light dept.

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.'"

4 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. dashboard diplays by aliscool · · Score: 5, Interesting

    OK, completely different technology. Similar premise. On vacation with my parents last December... My dad has a new Prius hybrid. He was so worried about that magic display in the center of the dash that showed his real time gas milegae that he was a damn hazard on the road. I very smoothly asked if I could drive the mighty hybrid for a while, much to his chagrin I drove us home most of the way from the airport and completely blew off the gas mileage statistics.

  2. Puh-leeze... by cookiej · · Score: 5, Funny
    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. The article should read:

    "Study Finds Stupid People More Likely to Kill Others When Driving"

    And this gem:
    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.

    Heavens! Relying on Technology! Burn them at the stake!

    Ye, Gods.
  3. The GPS Lady by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 5, Funny
    I hate it when you ignore the "turn left at the next light" and then they just start bitchin' at you:

    "I should have been bought by that other guy"
    "You never listen to me"
    "My mother told me not to let you buy me"

    On and on and on. It's enough to make ya crazy.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  4. Where's the problem ? by Space+cowboy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So, I've got a Garmin Streetpilot 2610. Last year I drove from Mountain View (where I live) to Las Vegas, without any maps, purely by putting (I think 3) waypoints - ("yes, I do want to go through Death Valley and Yosemite" etc.), a start and an end destination.

    I've done the trip before, but I wouldn't say I was familiar with it, and I tried to see different things this time anyway - we went somewhat out of our way to Monument Valley on the way back, 'cos that's fairly spectacular ...

    The thing performs perfectly - I use it a lot. The confidence it brings when you know it will work out the best route and take you that way is just great. No panic if (when) you miss a junction on a freeway because you were in the wrong lane. No problem if you miss a turn in a city you don't know. I can't praise the thing enough.

    My parents came over to visit - never been to the US before. Because I had to work that week, they went on a trip down the coast, with the GPS guiding them all the way. 10 minutes instruction was all it took to get them started, and they were experts after a few days, putting their own waypoints in etc. You have to understand that my parents really *are* VCR-challenged...

    I'd never try and put in directions when the car was moving though - just pull over, type the details, and drive on afterwards. News-flash: driving without looking at the road (no matter what gizmo is involved) is not a good idea...

    Simon

    --
    Physicists get Hadrons!