Drivers’ GPS Leeds them up the wrong path
History is rife with instances of seemingly benign inventions and technological advances that end up undermining the inherent common sense our ancestors enjoyed. For instance, how many people have you seen spend several minutes searching everywhere for their TV remote control when they could have just changed stations at the box itself?
In recent years, the latest must-have gadget for the discerning motorist is a state-of-the-art GPS, or Sat-Nav system.As drivers become more and more reliant on technology to get where they’re going, it’s no shock to find that people trust their navigation systems more than what they see through the windscreen.
A widely-reported story from a while back told of drivers passing through the village of Luckington and ending up in the river because their GPS directed them to a bridge that had been closed. Warning signs on both sides of the road and nothing but an expanse of water ahead of them did nothing to dissuade some drivers, simply because they were told to take that route by a disembodied voice. Villagers found themselves pulling an average of two cars a day out of the river, and one local resident told The Times newspaper, “When you ask what happened, they say, ‘My sat-nav told me it was this way.’”
In a village called Crackpot (yes, I know), there were several instances of drivers being directed off the main road and onto a stone covered trail that obviously wasn’t suitable for anything but 4×4 vehicles. It didn’t help matters that the trail was on a cliff edge 100 feet high, and the tech-worshipping travellers were backing perilously close to the edge when they finally sussed that they weren’t going to make it through and had to turn around.
It makes you wonder how many times people might have tried to locate the Leeds City Art Gallery, the University of Leeds, or even parking at Leeds Bradford Airport, and found themselves enjoying the picturesque countryside that surrounds Leeds Castle in Kent instead.
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About the Owner: Jeff Mills is a former Youth Pastor who is now a full time internet information entrepreneur, book author, speaker, marketer, and also an avid traveler. To get more free money saving travel tips, read more at his blog at Resorts 360. Plus learn how to make large commissions with your own resorts360 vacation and travel club business with the Resorts 360 (r360). Jeff will teach you "My Story Marketing and Branding", online marketing, outsourcing and Web 2.0 Media Marketing, and invites you to call his home office at 651-769-2189 to join Jeff's team. |
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