Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Sep 19, 3:04?am, wrote:
3. Set notifications for your travel route- No more missing an exit on
a freeway, and then taking a 3-mile detour! Your GPS navigator can
guide you along the way so that you don't miss any turns or highway
exits...http://personaltechinfo.googlepages....e_your_new_gps

4. Get so damn distracted playing with the buttons and watching the
screen that you run into somebody else, with injury or death a
possible result.

We've got one of those devices built into the wife's 400H. It has a
safety feature included that makes it impossible to do very much with
the screen unless the transmission is in Park. I'd be astonished to
learn that the portable units selling for a few hundred bucks and
plugging into the 12V cig-lighter fitting are similarly equipped. The
Lexus also has a "voice recognition" system that allows the driver to
name a pre-programmed destination, say "begin guidance", and then the
system will give verbal instructions that don't require looking at the
screen. "Take next exit, 1 mile ahead", "Take exit in 1/2 mile", "Take
exit 200 yards ahead", "Exit now, turn right at end of ramp...." No
visual interaction with the screen required. Why in blazes would
anybody mount something on top of the dashboard, where it would block
vision whether in use or not?

A chartplotter is one thing on a boat, where you can normally can take
your eyes off the water for 5 or 10 seconds without serious
consequence. In congested traffic situations typical in the Pac NW,
either you're sitting bumber to bumper on the freeway and averaging
less than 10 mph or you are surrounded by 75 mph maniacs
who think that half a second is sufficient following distance at that
speed. And don't suggest, "get over in the right lane if you're not
willing to exceed the speed limit as much as the fastest cars on the
road"- we *are* talking right lane. :-)

I see the near collisions, disregard for rules of the road, unsafe
passing, and failure to moderate wake when appropriate that result
from people allowing the electro nav stuff to run their boats. Whether
they are willing to admit it or not, a lot of folks are paying more
attention to the laptop than to the marine environment and many now
leave steering primarily to the autopilot/plotter combo. That's where
people are moving 10-15 kts with maybe 1/4 mile or greater clearance
in any direction. I don't want the guy in a car a couple of feet away
from me at 75 mph doing anything but paying attention to his driving-
no nav toys, no reaching for a cell phone, no tipping his head back to
drain the last few drops from his cup of coffee, no looking through
his CD's to put a new one in the player, nada but driving.

Folks living in a rural environment may have less reason to be
concerned.

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

Chuck Gould wrote:
On Sep 19, 3:04?am, wrote:
3. Set notifications for your travel route- No more missing an exit on
a freeway, and then taking a 3-mile detour! Your GPS navigator can
guide you along the way so that you don't miss any turns or highway
exits...http://personaltechinfo.googlepages....e_your_new_gps

4. Get so damn distracted playing with the buttons and watching the
screen that you run into somebody else, with injury or death a
possible result.

We've got one of those devices built into the wife's 400H. It has a
safety feature included that makes it impossible to do very much with
the screen unless the transmission is in Park.

This is the reason I would not put one in my wife's or my mothers car.

Since I am a guy, I NEVER get lost, so I don't need one. ;)

(since I have never published a photo of myself, I probably should
qualify that and say "imaginary" guy.)

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:05:44 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

On Sep 19, 3:04?am, wrote:
3. Set notifications for your travel route- No more missing an exit on
a freeway, and then taking a 3-mile detour! Your GPS navigator can
guide you along the way so that you don't miss any turns or highway
exits...http://personaltechinfo.googlepages....e_your_new_gps

4. Get so damn distracted playing with the buttons and watching the
screen that you run into somebody else, with injury or death a
possible result.

You mean like distracted listening to the radio or CD player? Or your
cell phone?

They are no more or no less dangerous than any other car compartment
device. Including air conditioning.

We've got one of those devices built into the wife's 400H. It has a
safety feature included that makes it impossible to do very much with
the screen unless the transmission is in Park. I'd be astonished to
learn that the portable units selling for a few hundred bucks and
plugging into the 12V cig-lighter fitting are similarly equipped. The
Lexus also has a "voice recognition" system that allows the driver to
name a pre-programmed destination, say "begin guidance", and then the
system will give verbal instructions that don't require looking at the
screen. "Take next exit, 1 mile ahead", "Take exit in 1/2 mile", "Take
exit 200 yards ahead", "Exit now, turn right at end of ramp...." No
visual interaction with the screen required. Why in blazes would
anybody mount something on top of the dashboard, where it would block
vision whether in use or not?

All portable devices have the ability to turn off the device, or cause
it to go dormant, at or above a certain speed.

Mine also has voice recognition, but I don't use it. I can also use
it to stream data from traffic cams, hook it into my cell phone and
have automatic reroutes based on traffic reports - all done
automatically.

Cost me $200.

Your review mirror is mounted on the windshield and if you have a toll
pass system (like EZ Pass) that has to be mounted on the windshield.
And if your state goes to milage based usage fees for highways based
on GPS, you are going to see a lot of windshield mounted devices for
those autos that don't have accesible data from a GPS.

My GPS is located on my dash board in plain view and blocks nothing of
my vision. I would be happy to supply you with an image of same.

I see the near collisions, disregard for rules of the road, unsafe
passing, and failure to moderate wake when appropriate that result
from people allowing the electro nav stuff to run their boats.

I would be more concerned at the amount of drug or alcohol impaired
drivers than somebody playing with their GPS.

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Sep 19, 8:36?am, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
wrote:

Since I am a guy, I NEVER get lost, so I don't need one. ;)

Same here. It would be impossible to get lost, as everybody is always
telling me where to go. :-)

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:54:24 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

On Sep 19, 8:36?am, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
wrote:

Since I am a guy, I NEVER get lost, so I don't need one. ;)

Same here. It would be impossible to get lost, as everybody is always
telling me where to go. :-)

Ok, I'll give you that one. :)

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Sep 19, 8:54?am, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:05:44 -0700, Chuck Gould

wrote:
On Sep 19, 3:04?am, wrote:
3. Set notifications for your travel route- No more missing an exit on
a freeway, and then taking a 3-mile detour! Your GPS navigator can
guide you along the way so that you don't miss any turns or highway
exits...http://personaltechinfo.googlepages....e_your_new_gps

4. Get so damn distracted playing with the buttons and watching the
screen that you run into somebody else, with injury or death a
possible result.

You mean like distracted listening to the radio or CD player? Or your
cell phone?

They are no more or no less dangerous than any other car compartment
device. Including air conditioning.



We've got one of those devices built into the wife's 400H. It has a
safety feature included that makes it impossible to do very much with
the screen unless the transmission is in Park. I'd be astonished to
learn that the portable units selling for a few hundred bucks and
plugging into the 12V cig-lighter fitting are similarly equipped. The
Lexus also has a "voice recognition" system that allows the driver to
name a pre-programmed destination, say "begin guidance", and then the
system will give verbal instructions that don't require looking at the
screen. "Take next exit, 1 mile ahead", "Take exit in 1/2 mile", "Take
exit 200 yards ahead", "Exit now, turn right at end of ramp...." No
visual interaction with the screen required. Why in blazes would
anybody mount something on top of the dashboard, where it would block
vision whether in use or not?

All portable devices have the ability to turn off the device, or cause
it to go dormant, at or above a certain speed.

Mine also has voice recognition, but I don't use it. I can also use
it to stream data from traffic cams, hook it into my cell phone and
have automatic reroutes based on traffic reports - all done
automatically.

Cost me $200.

Your review mirror is mounted on the windshield and if you have a toll
pass system (like EZ Pass) that has to be mounted on the windshield.
And if your state goes to milage based usage fees for highways based
on GPS, you are going to see a lot of windshield mounted devices for
those autos that don't have accesible data from a GPS.

My GPS is located on my dash board in plain view and blocks nothing of
my vision. I would be happy to supply you with an image of same.

I see the near collisions, disregard for rules of the road, unsafe
passing, and failure to moderate wake when appropriate that result
from people allowing the electro nav stuff to run their boats.

I would be more concerned at the amount of drug or alcohol impaired
drivers than somebody playing with their GPS.

I'm not in favor of any distractions while driving, including those
that you meniton.
Our state has passed a ban on hand-held cell phones in cars that takes
effect next January. I've been guilty of using my cell phone on the
road- but I'm switching to one of those blue tooth things (that looks
like an insect landed on your ear) so I can keep both hands on the
wheel and both eyes on the road.

Difference between rearview mirror and a dashboard mounted device of
any kind is pretty significant. It's been an incredibly long time
since I have seen a rear view mirror mounted on the dashboard. Most
are mounted near the top of the windshield. Imagine a 4-foot tall kid
crossing in front of your car near a grade school. The kid's head will
be visible *under* the rear view mirror, but might not be visible
*over* the top of some accessory suction cupped to the top of the
dash.

We normally don't run into things that we can see, assuming we aren't
too distracted to notice. Blocking vision for even several inches near
the driver projects out to a pretty large blind spot. How many times
do we hear, "I don't know where that other car came from! I swear I
didn't see it!" following an accident? I believe that a lot of people
involved in accidents really didn't see the other vehicle- for one
reason or another and many of the reasons could have been avoided.

My specific concerns with the extension of GPS plotters to cars are
the inclusion of an additional driving distraction and in some cases
additionally impaired visibility from the driver's seat.

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:54:05 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:



They are no more or no less dangerous than any other car compartment
device. Including air conditioning.

???? I hardly ever tinker with my A/C. And it doesn't talk to
me..much.

Your review mirror is mounted on the windshield and if you have a toll
pass system (like EZ Pass) that has to be mounted on the windshield.

Don't know if this viable everywhere, or on every car, but since I
don't use my EZ pass much, I just wrapped a couple big rubber bands on
it to keep it from sliding, and keep it in the glove box. When I go
on the tollway, I put it on the dash against the window. Works fine.

I would be more concerned at the amount of drug or alcohol impaired
drivers than somebody playing with their GPS.

I'm thinking about getting a GPS, but can't justify the cost for the
driving I do. OTOH, if it will do double duty on a boat I might just
go for it now. What's good for both car and boat, or is there such an
animal?

--Vic

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:34:59 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:



My specific concerns with the extension of GPS plotters to cars are
the inclusion of an additional driving distraction and in some cases
additionally impaired visibility from the driver's seat.

I don't put anything on the glass except required stickers in the
corner, but a low-profile dash mount shouldn't restrict any view of
the road. I've driven cars with fuzz busters that were unobtrusive.
Since I usually drive with a navigator, she's the one who will absorb
the distractions.
Ever open or look at a map while you were driving?
Seems to me GPS should be a net winner in the distraction arena,
but I used to lunch with a guy who would look down at console mounted
GPS as we drove to lunch. Unnecessary, since we were going to
well-known local eateries. I should have asked him why he was doing
that. That can be a problem with "toys."

--Vic

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

Froggie wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:08:30 -0400, "D.Duck" wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:26:11 -0400, "D.Duck" wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
om...

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 03:04:38 -0700, wrote:


3. Set notifications for your travel route- No more missing an exit on
a freeway, and then taking a 3-mile detour! Your GPS navigator can
guide you along the way so that you don't miss any turns or highway
exits...
http://personaltechinfo.googlepages....e_your_new_gps

Wow - is that right?

What other amazing tricks do these devices do?

They inform you when you've arrived at your destination!

No kidding.

Do they show you where you are real time?

Only if your navigator in the passenger seat follows along on the Rand
McNally with his finger at the proper time scale relative to the speed
your
are traveling.

Damn - well, that's disappointing.


It's no wonder people can't remember anything as they get older...they
depend on their electronic devices for everything. And they blame it on
Alzheimer's! Ha!

Did you check out her little webpage? Try doing this:
"2. Locate your parked vehicle- if you forget the spot where you parked
your car, a GPS device can easily locate it for you." with your built-in
GPS!

DT

Things You Can Do with GPS Device
 

On Sep 19, 10:30?am, Vic Smith
wrote:
On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:34:59 -0700, Chuck Gould

wrote:

My specific concerns with the extension of GPS plotters to cars are
the inclusion of an additional driving distraction and in some cases
additionally impaired visibility from the driver's seat.

I don't put anything on the glass except required stickers in the
corner, but a low-profile dash mount shouldn't restrict any view of
the road. I've driven cars with fuzz busters that were unobtrusive.
Since I usually drive with a navigator, she's the one who will absorb
the distractions.
Ever open or look at a map while you were driving?


Yes, after pulling into a rest area or a parking lot. I'd never try to
read a map while on the road.




Seems to me GPS should be a net winner in the distraction arena,
but I used to lunch with a guy who would look down at console mounted
GPS as we drove to lunch. Unnecessary, since we were going to
well-known local eateries. I should have asked him why he was doing
that. That can be a problem with "toys."

--Vic

Exactly. People can get so caught up in playing with something that
they can forget their primary responsibility to themselves and others-
safe and accident free driving.