U-Turns, GPS and the Path (yours)

U-turns and the Path

Am I the only person who’s noticed that since the advent of GPS – be it a separate navigation unit, one integrated into a car, or something on a cell phone – there’s been an enormous increase in the volume of U-turns?  I don’t mean a slight increase – by my observation, probably about a 500% increase (maybe more). 

I’m not a big fan of GPS in general, though I’ve been known to find it handy when navigating the odd super-confusing subdivision, or for having a glance at traffic patterns.  But what I don’t do is follow it slavishly.  I look at it as a suggestion (ok, the time shown IS also my “time to beat”).  

But my larger concerns with are twofold:

(a)    There’s a whole generation – perhaps a couple by now – who have no clue how to read a map.  Yes, there are a few exceptions, but they certainly seem like a very small number.

(b)   GPS seems to view U-turns as a default solution to, well, everything.  Missed your turn?  Make a U-turn.  Changed your mind?  Make a U-turn.  Forgot to turn and in the far left lane for your right turn?  That’s ok, just cut across four lanes of traffic.  (The last one might be a Richmond Hell/Markham [deliberate typo] driver idiosyncrasy).

U-turns definitely have a purpose, and there are times when making a U-turn is a good idea.  For example, if you’re on a fairly empty road or traffic is clear and you need to turn around quickly, go for it.  If traffic is heavy and you’re blocking the left turn lane to do this, cutting of several lanes of traffic to do so, or worse still, unable to understand your vehicles turning radius (or to turn sufficiently sharply) to U-turn in the available space, and needing a 3- or even 5-point turn.  All of this blocks traffic, annoys and frustrates other drivers, and while it may not cause an accident for the U-turner, I’ll bet it causes some road rage or accidents up or down the line.

https://www.cnet.com/news/womans-gps-leads-her-straight-into-a-100-ft-deep-lake/

But that’s not the only aspect of GPS of which I’m not fond.  Let’s go back to the mapping side of things, shall we?  We’ve all heard the news stories about people dying in the middle of the desert because “the GPS directed them there”.  There’s more, though.  Have you ever noticed that most GPS systems don’t seem to have a sense of what’s actually a ROAD, and what, well, ISN’T a road?  I know that on the occasions I’ve used mine, it’s led me down some paths that certainly made me grateful for four-wheel drive and good suspension!  I can’t imagine how some of those would have come out had I been driving a sports car, or even an ordinary sedan.

Then there’s the fun “wrong city” result that you don’t catch because you’re in a hurry.  (Yes, it’s there, but when you’re in a rush, you just ASSUME it brings up a location that’s actually driveable, not something on another continent. – I’m never quite sure how that pans out…).  I always find it interesting when I enter a street name that I know is within 10-20km of me, and the first several results – not just the first one – are in other countries, states, provinces, or even around the globe.  The likelihood that I’m trying to GPS DRIVING directions to the UK from Canada is pretty remote, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this probably applies to a few other people too.

So what’s to be done?  Well, my first tactic is to blame the programmer, since that’s definitely not me.  Maybe this guy/girl/robot is just a big fan of U-turns, or really doesn’t understand that driving directly across oceans has a noticeable tendency to have negative results. 

…Perhaps someone is just fooling with us, and reminding us that it just makes sense to LOOK AT WHAT YOU’RE BEING TOLD, and see if it really DOES make sense.  If you have a rough idea, for example, that your destination is IN whatever city is nearest you, and your route is taking you from your subdivision down more and more dirt roads, there’s a pretty good chance you might be on the wrong path.

Hey, that brings me to the life lesson here.  The obvious ones, of course, are to look at the overall route your GPS suggests before you actually start driving, and to make driving choices that are safe and courteous for you and everyone around you.  (Hint, that’s frequently not a U-turn).  The more subtle one, though, is that I see GPS as a metaphor of sorts for life.  No matter where you are in your life, it’s always a good idea to look around, and take stock of what’s there.  Are the people and situations with which you’re surrounding yourself beneficial?  Do they nurture you, or exhaust you?  Take stock, and reprogram your path if it’s pointing you in the wrong direction.  It’s never too late.