GPS Saves the Day!

“There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here!”
– TV cartoon show

My wife & I are late technology adopters. We are not luddites (i.e. anti-technology) but we are often the last amongst our friends to buy a cell phone, use the internet, buy Cable services, buy a large flat screen TV, etc. The chief reason is cost. We wait until technology becomes cheap.

This year we finally purchased a GPS. And after a two-week road trip to Winnipeg, Canada and back we are so glad we have it. At one point in North Dakota we had 40 miles of driving range left before we ran out of gas. The GPS told us where to find the nearest gas station. During the trip we visited lots of oddball attractions recommended by RoadsideAmerica.com. The GPS helped us find them. If a major road had delays, the GPS plotted a detour. And while our route was predetermined, we were never sure just how far we would travel on any given day. The GPS helped us find motels each night.

If you are an active hiker or camper, consider buying a portable GPS. The article, 10 Ways That Your GPS Can Save Your Life, has several stories of someone lost or stranded but able to call rescuers and give an exact location using their GPS.

Some clever uses of GPS from the article include:

• A GPS tracking device (shot at the fleeing vehicle) for police car chases
• A GPS tracker in the shoes of Alzheimer patients
• Cargo smart airdrops using GPS
• GPS tracking bracelet for children

The story, Car Horns Warn Against Natural Disasters, describes the eCall emergency system, which will be required in new European cars after September 2010. The eCall system consists of a GPS sensor and a mobile phone component, which is automatically activated in case of an accident (i.e. when the airbags are triggered) and transmits data (e.g. accident time and coordinates) to an emergency call center.

Bottom Line

A basic model GPS will cost from $70 to $200. You can spend more if you want Blue Tooth, traffic reports, music uploads, games, etc. We got lucky and purchased a discontinued deluxe model at 70% off. One advantage of the deluxe model was multi-point trip planning. During our road trip I was able to enter in all the stops we wanted to make that day and find the best route.

Do keep in mind that GPS is not perfect. While it may know road speeds (usually), ours was clueless about stop signs and traffic lights. It might divert us from a main road to a residential road where the speed limit was similar but we had to stop every block for stop signs. In Amish country it sent us along many dirt roads. And sometimes an error in the address like W vs. E or Lane vs. Drive could send us on a wild goose chase. And the data may be out of date. When we were low on gas in North Dakota, the first station it sent us to had gone out of business.