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I love the GPS almost as much as I love my cell phone. I drive with somebody who invariably will take the opposite direction of where we're supposed to go, a regular wrong way Corrigan. Without the GPS he'd have us going in circles all night long.
It also indespensible when you get the urge that 'that road looks interesting, let' try it' when you don't know where it will lead. Instead of feeling desperately lost you can end the adventure any time you want. I do also often supplement it with a map on road trips as I find them lacking in the overall picture.
It comes in handy on day trips when you're looking for things to do and see in an unfamiliar area. I dread getting home knowing later that I was five minutes from something I might have seen and missed. Sometimes she can seem like a backseat driver when you're purposely gone in a different direction till she recalculates. We talk back.
We all know somebody who can't find their way out of a paper sack. Those people truly need GPS to function effectively, while it's simply a convenience to others.
I like using a GPS on road trips for several reasons:
* If you're getting hungry on a road trip you can tell it to list the restaurants in the area, and it will tell you how far away they are and give you a telephone number if you want to call to make sure they're open. It also allows gives you much better choices in food than always eating fast food along the interstate.
* If you're getting tired, you can tell it to find all the motels in the area and call around to get a better rate than what you'll find right next to the interstate
* If you want to take the road less traveled, you can tell it to take the shortest route, or the most fuel efficient route, and specify what kinds of roads you'd like to drive on. I've been on some beautiful drives this way.
* It will guide you around toll roads!
* If your speedometer is off, it will let you know how fast you're going so you don't get a ticket or drive 5mph too slow all the way across the country. The little tools like the compass and ETA are nice too.
* A GPS saves time and fuel, and it's a lot safer than trying to read maps while driving in strange cities.
I guess the answer is that most people don't NEED GPS in their car, but it's a great tool to have and well worth the hundred or two that you'll spend on a Garmin. With that being said though, I don't think I'd buy a car equipped with GPS simply for the fact that the dealer will try to gouge you on the deal.
A couple of times I got stuck in traffic jams on the interstate, pulled off and let the GPS get me around the traffic on ordinary roads.
My "interactive device" is a Cee Bee radio! I can get real-time traffic updates, information about food ahead (truckers know where the best food is) And, in case of an accident, the "C.B. Accident Investigation Team" will provide instant analysis that may actually be somewhat close to the facts!
It's extremely dangerous to read a map, compared to following directions given on a GPS. For that reason, if you're a map lover, use it to complement map.
I know how to read a map and think that exploring is sometimes fun. I know that maps are "old school" thinking, but do I need to be like the rest of the crowd and purchase a GPS?
I don't use it, but I couldn't imagine owning a vehicle without a GPS in year 2009. The vehicles I drive usually have nav standard.
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