GPS-Related Car Accidents?

 

Has anyone had a car accident or a close miss while playing around with their GPS on the road?

Happened to me a while back while I was trying to select a different voice for the GPS...I looked up and almost rammed into stalled traffic...only good brakes saved me.

I heard an urban legend that one lady ran right through the concrete wall of a BEST BUY store while testing out her new GPS. Ironically, she just bought the GPS at the same BEST BUY an hour earlier.

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Nuvi 680 GPSMap60CSx

GPS Car Accident?

Nope. Not me.

No

Try to be very cautious about that. Usually limit my interface with the GPS to when I'm stopped at a light or stopped in traffic.

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Nuvi 3597 LMT

Distractions.

I admire you for being honest. I suspect most of us (self included) are tempted from time to time to "make a quick adjustment" on our GPS when we know better, and we usually are lucky and get away with it without causing an accident. But your story is a good reminder why we shouldn't do it. Next time I am tempted I will remember your near miss and hopefully leave my GPS alone until I am stopped.

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Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Nope

No accidents ~knocks on wood~ just quick adjustments. redface

Rookie mistakes!

When I was first getting used to GPS, I ran through several stoplights and stop signs--thankfully, no accidents. I was always trying to re-parameterize a setting while I was driving.

However, now that I have been using the system for 3 years, I am much safer, and set all of my favorite options while parked in my garage.

Now, I don't change anything requiring deep menu browsing when I am driving.

My 750 wont let you play while moving

Its the Nissan Dock mount, maybe Nissan had them put that in the program. If driving and you hit menue it goes to a warning screen. Can not operate while driving and freezes up so you have to pull over or wait for a liht or something.

Adjusting While Moving

The first time I used a GPS was a Street Pilot from National Rental Car and it had the same feature. No adjustments could be made while moving which was annoying since I had passengers to do the adjustments.
I had to have one after the first rental trip razz.

If I have to adjust I

If I have to adjust I usually wait until I can pull over or at a red light. It's not worth the accident.

None to date

I try not to be a contributor to a ban on GPS, like cell phones are now. Not easy to do. Good point you make.

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Frank (Nuvi 2497LMT, 2455LMT, 765LMT,680,StreetPilot 2720)

lucky

JCMilan wrote:

Has anyone had a car accident or a close miss while playing around with their GPS on the road?

Happened to me a while back while I was trying to select a different voice for the GPS...I looked up and almost rammed into stalled traffic...only good brakes saved me.

I heard an urban legend that one lady ran right through the concrete wall of a BEST BUY store while testing out her new GPS. Ironically, she just bought the GPS at the same BEST BUY an hour earlier.

you were lucky. You can do simple things with the GPS, but trying to change voices with a GPS is just asking for trouble if you're driving.

These are advanced settings that should not be attempted when you're driving.

--
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21626 - red light cameras do not work

Default from factory

When I got my Nuvi 265t it would not allow changing of anything while the vehicle was in motion. It hat to be turned off in the settings menu to allow this.

Not yet

I hold the GPS in my hand, just above the steering wheel. I can look at the road & the unit. Works for me. I wish Barbara could learn the navigating. But alas.

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1490LMT 1450LMT 295w

Not GPS, but same-o, same-o

I immediately recognized the scenario as one that happened to me about 20 years ago, and the lesson I learned the hard way helped make that my last accident (knock on wood!)

JCMilan wrote:

Happened to me a while back while I was trying to select a different voice for the GPS...I looked up and almost rammed into stalled traffic...only good brakes saved me.

Substitute 'radio station' for 'voice', and 'radio' for 'GPS' and that's exactly what happened! Good brakes made it a 'love tap' but I was still impressed.

I soon after started driving my car like I was on my motorcycle .. Gotta constantly watch everything & everyone as if it's a conspiracy to make you crash. shock

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

I am careful

JCMilan wrote:

Has anyone had a car accident or a close miss while playing around with their GPS on the road?

Happened to me a while back while I was trying to select a different voice for the GPS...I looked up and almost rammed into stalled traffic...only good brakes saved me.

I heard an urban legend that one lady ran right through the concrete wall of a BEST BUY store while testing out her new GPS. Ironically, she just bought the GPS at the same BEST BUY an hour earlier.

I am careful and don't make adjustments while I am driving. However, I find that the traffic indicator defeats the whole safety issue. If there is traffic ahead, you have to click on another screen to see were the problems are on the upcoming road. So most of the time, I never see where the traffic problem is b/c I don't want to fiddle with the GPS while driving. It is usually on a highway so I can't pull over either.

thank you

a reminder like yours is always good

I know I sometimes forget the consequences of multitasking while driving

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— (Garmin nuvi 765T) — "people who say money can't buy happiness, don't know where to shop"

I'm glad there are so many

I'm glad there are so many girl scouts who never mess with their GPS's while driving ... I'm not one of them.

Usually a cell phone in one hand, a knee or two on the steering wheel, and my other hand typing in an address into the GPS or just changing the gps display "vehicle" to one of Garmin's latest and greatest icons. A Big Gulp sode between my legs, a bag of Mickey D's burgers resting on the console, turning around to yell at the kids (whom I'd be smacking if I didn't have my hands full) and arguing with my wife .... and all that's even before we leave the drive way.

I expect there are more folks like me, than some holier than thou types who swear they never, ever take their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road.

--
Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.

Nope but certainly see the

Nope but certainly see the potential. That's why they have the warning!

SAFE MODE PLEASE!

cool
Will NEVER happen if you leave SAFE MODE ON!!!

A GREAT FEATURE OF GARMIN THAT MOST PEOPLE TURN OFF AND THEN AN ACCIDENT OCCUR AND WISH THEY HAD LEFT IT ON!

PAY ATTENTION TO TRAFFIC AND NOT THE GPS...

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"Destination Eternity" Garmin 765T, & Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

GPS Car Related Accidents

None here, but it's easy to see that it's best to set you destination before you drive anywhere.

It's no different than cell phones or texting - takes your entire attention. It would be far better to learn while in an armchair so you know what you're doing when using GPS's in a moving vehicle.

Fred

GPS-Related Car Accidents?

Never. My GPS is set before I leave the house or when I reach one of my destinations.

Ok

cbwatts wrote:

I'm glad there are so many girl scouts who never mess with their GPS's while driving ... I'm not one of them.

Usually a cell phone in one hand, a knee or two on the steering wheel, and my other hand typing in an address into the GPS or just changing the gps display "vehicle" to one of Garmin's latest and greatest icons. A Big Gulp sode between my legs, a bag of Mickey D's burgers resting on the console, turning around to yell at the kids (whom I'd be smacking if I didn't have my hands full) and arguing with my wife .... and all that's even before we leave the drive way.

I expect there are more folks like me, than some holier than thou types who swear they never, ever take their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road.

Ok. This has to be the post of teh day.

Drive the Car

Pilots have a saying "fly the plane" meaning no matter what the situation you are dealing with the first responsibility of the pilot is to pay attention to flying the plane. The same is true of the person driving a car. First responsibility is to "drive the car". Operating a GPS is only one of many activities drivers allow themselves to be distracted by. Cell phones of course, putting on makeup, someone has already mentioned tuning the radio, eating, pet on the lap or running around the car, children, etc. We may not be specifically guilty of operating a GPS while driving, but I'll bet every one of us has let something distract us from attention to driving at one time or another.

None so far . . .

but I can see how it can happen. Lots of things distract, not just electronics. So pay attention and say a prayer. Be careful out there!

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dja24 - garmin nuvi 200W, etrex vista, etrex vista Cx

Divided Attention

I usually leave the gps alone except to cancel out a route or do a recalculate, but texting has cost me a few near misses. I guess I can't text without looking (unlike every teenager in the country.)

No close calls here but ...

cbwatts wrote:

Usually a cell phone in one hand, a knee or two on the steering wheel, and my other hand typing in an address into the GPS or just changing the gps display "vehicle" to one of Garmin's latest and greatest icons. A Big Gulp sode between my legs, a bag of Mickey D's burgers resting on the console, turning around to yell at the kids (whom I'd be smacking if I didn't have my hands full) and arguing with my wife .... and all that's even before we leave the drive way.

Yup, gullty of the above ... well, maybe not to the extreme example given above. For the most part my GF handles the navigation on trips but there are times I take over as the GPS doesn't fall asleep like my navigator. smile I have not come close to an accident as I keep my main focus on the road and I do pull over if complex routing changes are required.

This is the exact reason I just bought an 855, for the voice commands so I don't need to pull over.

Steve

No

I turned off my safety mode but I still do not change anything when I am driving for just that reason. I know for a fact that when I'm driving even talking on a cellphone is distracting so I keep even that to a minimum.

Safe mode is a little silly

I recently did a hard reset which turned Safe Mode back on again. The first time I tapped the screen while driving it popped up a warning "Safe mode is enabled. Do you want to bypass it?" Or something to that effect. Way too easy.

No accidents so far

I try to be careful when changing settings or typing new routes or anything with my Nuvi. I wait until I am stopped before I delve into the menus so I haven't had an accident so far. I am guilty of hitting the "traffic delay caution sign" to see where the traffic issues are on my way home though.

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Nuvi 2597 / Nuvi 2595 / Nuvi 680 / Nuvi 650 "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment."

No

I don't usually mess with it on the road too much. But there have been times where I was trying to see the turns and missed it, should have just been listening...

Daniel

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Garmin StreetPilot c580 & Nuvi 760 - Member 32160 - Traveling in Kansas

Close Call

I have had a close call or two. That is one reason I don't like air vent mounts. I do better making adjustments to or looking at the GPS if it is mounted on the dash or windsheild.

Close call too

While exiting out of the map display on my Garmin to hit the detour button because of stopped traffic, I was coasting along at about 10 MPH. In the single second it took to press the screen 2 times with my eyes off the road, traffic stopped and I almost rammed into the back of a BMW in front of me. That was very close, and all I can say is thank goodness for the slow speed and very excellent brakes on my car.

I wish that Garmin would add a function similar to the Magellan Smart Detour to its units that detects when you have slowed in heavy traffic and automatically flashes a detour button on the main screen. One press of a button may be the only difference between you and an accident.

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"Life is a journey - enjoy the ride!" Garmin nuvi 255

wrong

cbwatts wrote:

I'm glad there are so many girl scouts who never mess with their GPS's while driving ... I'm not one of them.

Usually a cell phone in one hand, a knee or two on the steering wheel, and my other hand typing in an address into the GPS or just changing the gps display "vehicle" to one of Garmin's latest and greatest icons. A Big Gulp sode between my legs, a bag of Mickey D's burgers resting on the console, turning around to yell at the kids (whom I'd be smacking if I didn't have my hands full) and arguing with my wife .... and all that's even before we leave the drive way.

I expect there are more folks like me, than some holier than thou types who swear they never, ever take their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road.

Sorry, but you're way way off base.

I do use my GPS when I'm driving, such as changing routes, detour, etc. But changing settings like the voice, that requires multiple complicated steps??

Hell no!!!

Common sense, it ain't so common any more.

And good for you that you've survived so far doing the multi-tasking.

I had a friend who passed away a few months ago, when he got hit by another vehicle whose driver was distracted. If you search my name in the Open Talk forum you will see when I posted about my friend's death.

You take this stuff very lightly. I hope you learn before it is too late, unlike my friend who died.

--
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21626 - red light cameras do not work

No, I haven't,

No, I haven't, but....
That's the reason why I never put a GPS on the motorcycle's....

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A 2689LMT in both our cars that we love... and a Nuvi 660 with Lifetime Maps that we have had literally forever.... And a 2011 Ford Escape with Nav System that is totally ignored!

I appreciate being able to

I appreciate being able to change things on the Nuvi even while it's in motion, but you definitely gotta be careful to keep eyes on the road too!

nope, always alert to things

nope, always alert to things around me when multitasking :]

Distractions

I got seriously distracted when the Nuvi was new....for a week or so.
Now that I am familiar with it, I can select the items I want fairly quickly.

I use the "Dr. Nightmare" voice. It cracks me up.

Hey!

cbwatts wrote:

I'm glad there are so many girl scouts who never mess with their GPS's while driving ... I'm not one of them.

Usually a cell phone in one hand, a knee or two on the steering wheel, and my other hand typing in an address into the GPS or just changing the gps display "vehicle" to one of Garmin's latest and greatest icons. A Big Gulp sode between my legs, a bag of Mickey D's burgers resting on the console, turning around to yell at the kids (whom I'd be smacking if I didn't have my hands full) and arguing with my wife .... and all that's even before we leave the drive way.

I expect there are more folks like me, than some holier than thou types who swear they never, ever take their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road.

I'm quite sure I'm the only driver out there who's this good at multitasking. I know I see a lot of other drivers trying it and they all make at least 10 mistakes per mile.

Me? Flawless! Nobody would ever guess I wasn't giving 100% attention to my driving.

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JMoo On

Jeese

Jeese ... obvious that some folks can't take joke ... I mean, good grief ... my "cell phone in one hand, a knee or two on the steering wheel, and punching my garmin with my other hand" was obviously written tongue in cheek.

But I readily admit I occasionally mess with my Garmin while driving.

I can't believe that I'd get jumped by several self-righteous folks who swear they keep their hands on the 10 and 2 position, both eyes on the road at all times, not distracted by kids or Rush on the radio.

Good grief ... it's apparent that some folks recognized a "laugh" when they read my post ... but it's obvious that some couldn't recognize a joke if they crashed into it.

Lighten up.

And I don't believe for a moment these folks are as perfect drivers as they claim to be. Care to compare driving records?

Come on ... the OP obviously started this thread to ask if anybody ever came close to having an accident.

Cut the sanctimonious preaching.

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Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.