Why I don't trust GPS!

[Debi]

Hawaii tourists rescued after following GPS directions into boat harbor

A pair of tourists in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, drove their minivan straight into a boat harbor after making a mistake on their GPS directions.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Paulm]

wow....maybe they should look a few feet past the hood ornament while driving. they do know that GPS gives verbal directions, right? so you dont have to watch the screen.... sorry, but riding a motorcycle through the years, it just gets to me when someone is obviously so oblivious to their surroundings that they would drive into the ocean..... people looking at their phones, ( or occupied with all the new features/gadgets of new cars), texting, talking, etc.... is one huge pet peeve of mine.......pay attention when driving people

 

[Debi]

wow....maybe they should look a few feet past the hood ornament while driving. they do know that GPS gives verbal directions, right? so you dont have to watch the screen.... sorry, but riding a motorcycle through the years, it just gets to me when someone is obviously so oblivious to their surroundings that they would drive into the ocean..... people looking at their phones, ( or occupied with all the new features/gadgets of new cars), texting, talking, etc.... is one huge pet peeve of mine.......pay attention when driving people

My husband once wanted to listen to a very old GPS of twenty years ago that would have taken us off a mountain. Me screaming seemed to get his attention.

 

[Paulm]

My husband once wanted to listen to a very old GPS of twenty years ago that would have taken us off a mountain. Me screaming seemed to get his attention.

i do use my GPS often when traveling through an area im unfamiliar with. but i also always map out the route beforehand so i have an idea of how to go to begin with. (when on long trips).. i guess growing up before GPS and using an atlas or other maps has stayed with me...lol..... i always plan the route before leaving and pretty much know how to get to where im going even without a map... plus i also know north, south, east, west and how highways and roads are numbered..how to use a compass, etc...lol.... it just really surprises me sometimes how clueless some people are when it comes to directions. then i have to remind myself most people havent taken nav classes and such....lol...... but still, people need to use some common sense sometimes, you dont stop in the middle of the highway and try a u-turn cause you missed a GPS command, you dont panic and veer 4 lanes over all at once to catch an exit cause you werent payin attention, (little secret peeps, theres another exit a mile down the road....lol).... thats the stuff that gets to me the most...

 

[Stevedog]

A few decades ago when I was in the US Army we got issued GPS units for field exercises. During training on how to use them I was torn emotionally. They explained that these devices triangulated their position using satellites, the more satellites available the more accurate they become. The readout in mine said it was picking up 3 satellites but as I walked around that number would go between 3 and 4, in a certain area I got 5. The instructor then brought me a device to load the encryption keys for military and other government satellites into the GPS and suddenly there were a dozen more satellites being detected. The technology nerd in me was fascinated but the conspiracy theorist in me just got more paranoid.

About 2 weeks later we were out in the desert doing training drills and I was tasked with driving my Captain to a specific set of coordinates. I pulled out a paper map and compass, then started doing my measurements and calculations. The Captain saw me and scoffed. "Go ahead and put that map away" he said with confidence "we have this!" as he held up the GPS unit like it was some magical artifact. I asked him "Does that thing really work?" and he gave an emphatic "Yes!" So asked if he could tell our current position and he laughed as it matched my calculations. Then I asked if it could tell us how to get to the secondary position, he looked at the screen, pointed at the horizon and smugly declared "That way for two kilometers!" He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat at this point.

Then I asked if it showed him where the 20 foot drop off was in-between our current position and our destination so that we don't drive off a cliff. His smile quickly disappeared as he frantically started pushing buttons and frowning at the devices screen. After a few minutes he sheepishly mumbled "um.. no.. it.. uh.. it doesn't show that." To which I nodded and said "Well then, if it's okay with you sir I'll go ahead and keep my map out." He gunted agreement, climbed into the passenger seat of the HUMVEE and pretty much sulked for the entire drive. Which was good for me because this guy was usually very talkative which is a bit distracting when navigating sand dunes.

It was also helpful that I had smashed his enthusiasm enough that he didn't even look at the GPS nor the map during the drive. Because the he could have figured out that there was no 20 foot drop in the area.

 

[Lynne]

I will admit to using a GPS quite often but it has taken me astray and wasted miles on occasion. In This case I think the spirits of that island were messing with these people. Hawaii is no joke with the spirits if they don't like you. i have heard a lot of tales in regards to this. I could totally picture snickering ghosts.