Re:Death by GPS
by ghaff on Sunday May 08, 2016 @11:14PM
(#11657373)
My recollection (and a quick review of Wikipedia) of the James Kim case was that GPS wasn't involved; it was a matter of following a seasonal road shown on a highway map.
The problem isn't so much GPS--although I imagine doing what a GPS "tells you to" can make the problem more severe. It's that in large areas of the Western US in particular there are a wide range of road conditions once you get off major paved roads.
ADD: As for closing off roads, there are a huge number of minor roads in the West that are more or less drivable depending upon weather, vehicle type, driver skill, and other factors. If you drive off paved roads in those areas, it's important to be careful and often to obtain more info than what's on the map.
The problem isn't so much GPS--although I imagine doing what a GPS "tells you to" can make the problem more severe. It's that in large areas of the Western US in particular there are a wide range of road conditions once you get off major paved roads.
ADD: As for closing off roads, there are a huge number of minor roads in the West that are more or less drivable depending upon weather, vehicle type, driver skill, and other factors. If you drive off paved roads in those areas, it's important to be careful and often to obtain more info than what's on the map.