A GPS can be a fantastic tool, but how much should you really trust it?
I have a 2007 GoldWing GL1800 with the build-in navigation system. This is fantastic for the most part. Some of my favorite features are the fact it is secure, turns on/off with the motorcycle and is integrated into my sound system all right from the factory. On my previous motorcycle I attached a navigation system to the dashboard. It worked just fine but had a smaller screen, I had to replace batteries regularly (rechargables) and I couldn't hear the instructions while on the highway. But I could tug it off the bike and take it walking or in the car. I know that most bikers have no choice but to mount a GPS to the bike because as far as I know, the GoldWing is currently the only bike that has one integrated.
That isn't the topic of this article though. The question here is how much should any of us trust our GPS. We all know that they have a small degree of error built in to them deliberatly. The government is affraid that they will be strapped to missles or something and used to guide them to terrorist targets. But if you have used a navigation unit (slightly differnt than basic GPS units) then you know, that error can be negated through software. While dirving through town, the programs are smart enough to know that you are not driving in the middle of the park or through a building so they adjust to the nearest street. After a couple courners, the unit is accurate to within a couple feet of your actual location.
What? You don't know the difference between a basic GPS unit and a Navigation unit? Oh, well let me give you the short version. Software. The programs that are in the two units are very similar. A navigation unit has the same basic electronics as a GPS unit but it is designed for vehicle nagivation. Navigation units are not designed to stick in you pocket and take hiking in the woods. They are optomized for street driving and they are pretty good at it. They have nice user interfaces turn by turn directions and things of this nature. A basic GPS unit will often have many navigation features but they also let you walk off in the woods and can help you go to points on the map that are not near roads. How you plan on using the unit will decide which you should buy.
Lets focus on the navigation features found in both types of unit because I don't plan on taking my motorcycle down any dirt hiking paths into the woods our out in the middle of any fields.
Since I have been using my biuilt-in navigation unit I have noticed that some times, I turn my brain off and let the machine do the navigating. And almost every time I do I run into some soft of issue. Normally it is the simple fact that the computer might know the theoretical fastest or shortest route, but it doesn't know the most enjoyable route or care if you have to make more turns. It is a machine after all so if one route takes 54 minutes and is BORING and another route takes you 55 minutes but is EXCITING, you will most likely be routed to the 54 minute BORING path just because it is faster.
The units normally don't take into account traffic either. Well, you can subscribe to some services that keep your unit updated with up to the minute traffic. I haven't tried any of those so I can't say how well they work. But just the general fact that some stretches of road are alway under the speedlimit can cause your navigation device to route you on what it thins is the fastest route but really is not even close. Interstates are stored in most units as 65 mile an hour zones. So when you go through a major city and you are foced to slow to 50, well you are losing time and on boring road. Where the 50 mile an hour by-pass would have actually been just as fast and much nicer to ride.
Another issue is that the maps in these units are ALWAYS out of date. The day you load the new map into the computer, it is already a year old. It just isn't possible for the companies to keep maps up to the minute accurate. (yet) So you are bound to hit a closed road now and then. This sort of thing happens with paper maps too so it is no surprise.
The thing to keep in mind when you are using your GPS or Navigation unit is that it is only a tool. A simple machine. Take your time at the start of your ride to plot out the basic route. Don't just take the device's word for it, actually check it out. And since most devices will automatically re-route when you miss a turn, don't be affraid to disregard the command to turn left in 30 feet if you don't like the look of the road you are being routed to.
Granted, some times you really don't know where you are going and you have to trust the machine. This is understandable. I have yet to be given completely wrong instructions by any GPS or Navigation unit. They always get me reasonably close to the target. There have been several times that I have not been able to find the exact address I was searching for and then had to stop and ask directions. But for the most part they do a good job.
Just remember, they are machines and tools. Don't let them take the fun out of your ride. Let them help you by removing the major stress out of your trip. But if you trust the machine too much, you may end up adding stress by heading down the long road to nowhere.
Feel free to comment on this article in the forum section of this site.