They just put the name and/or address of their destination on their handy dashboard-mounted GPS and they have a reliable guide that will get them to their destination safely and easily. Unfortunately, the increasing reliance on this technology has caused some drivers to practically ignore their innate sense of direction and follow their GPS blindly even if it steers them in the wrong direction.
And yes, a GPS can misdirect someone. It doesn't happen too often, but it does happen nonetheless. For example, one Nevada couple was lost for nearly two months in the wilderness despite the fact that they had a GPS and were following its directions. Other people have hit dead ends and even driven into rivers because they were told to do so by their GPS.
It's easy to laugh at people who do these things. After all, how could they be stupid enough not to notice they were being steered into a river or a ditch by a robotic voice coming from an inanimate object? However, many experts say that these incidents are simply a sign that we are becoming more reliant on technology than ever before and that many of us may not even be aware of it.
A World of Computers
Twenty-first Century America has become a country that is practically ruled by computers and technology. Most people have at least one computer with Internet access at home, and even if they don't there are places where they can go to get online in a matter of seconds. |
| [Image Credits: MBG Stock] |
Smartphones are now the preferred method of communication for millions of people, so much so that it's strange to see people not texting or talking on their phones in public. Just about everyone has a Facebook or Twitter account, and even if they don't you can probably still contact them by email. With all this reliance on computers and networks, it was only a matter of time before computers influenced the way people drive.
For most people all of this computer technology works just fine, but there will always be a certain part of the population that won't know what to do when their precious computers fail them. They've become so reliant on their technology that they don't know how to live without it. For those who rely almost exclusively on their GPS to get where they're going, this translates to an almost complete lack of direction or navigational skill.
Learning Basic Survival Skills
Before there was a GPS in every vehicle or on every smartphone, people had to find different ways to get from point A to point B. They had to know how to read maps or follow a compass. They had to be able to recognize familiar landmarks that let them know that they were going the right direction, and they had to know alternate routes when they were faced with closed roads or traffic jams.All of this was done without using a fancy piece of technology. Today it could be argued that we have an entire generation who doesn't know how to navigate by themselves. They may think that they're always going to be safe and that their GPS will never fail them, but no technology works perfectly all the time. Perhaps it's time to set our GPS devices aside and learn some basic navigational skills while we can still remember them.
Dana JenningsAbout the Author:
Dana Jennings writes about all forms of mapping and field services; she particularly enjoys leaving the GPS at home to better explore her world.