GPS vs. maps

My nephew just got his license and remarked that he got lost the other day and was thankful his phone had GPS to find his way back home.

I asked him if he would remember now how to get there & back without the GPS since he had already made the trip. He said no. This was to Heckscher Park, not a very hard place to get to once you know.

Do you think GPS are replacing people's sense of direction and ability to figure out on their own where they are/how to get somewhere? I told him I was going to take out maps and show him the north/south and east/west parkways on Long Island so at least he'd have a general sense of how to get around.

Honestly, it worries me especially for a kid learning how to drive, that he may never learn the skill of figuring out directions & maps.

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I agree with you. I've seen this happen with myself. I used to know how to get basically anywhere. I could picture huge sections of Long Island in my head and use my memory to get to various places.

Once I started using a GPS I lost all sense of direction and where I was. Once I had to pull over to the side of the road and wait for the GPS to get a signal before I could get home.

Now I stick to maps whenever possible. I don't even have a GPS in my car anymore (although I do have it on my phone in case of an emergency).

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Some people have absolutely no sense of direction (like my mother for example ), so I don't think GPS has made her lose her sense of direction...she just never had any . But I do think some people rely solely on the GPS and aren't even aware of their surroundings, which I find odd because even GPS gets it wrong sometimes.

I had a job several years back and it required a lot of driving. I remember my boss NEVER letting us Mapquest directions (this was way before GPS systems became popular). He always sent us out with a Hagstrom map and said if we got lost, we should use that. I'll tell you what, I'm grateful that he did because it really forced me to learn how to read and use maps.

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In my case, no, a GPS does not alter my sense of direction. Once I go somewhere with the GPS, I know how to go there again without it. That's how it always was before I got a GPS-except with paper/map/whatever.

I'm sure it does alter some peoples' senses of direction, but my assumption would be that it generally does not. Some people are just not good with directions.

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Ahh yes Hagstrom maps, how I love them so. I used to drive ambulances all over the island and all we had were maps, so I learned and learned quick (and got lost a lot too).

If I were to get a GPS, I already have my sense of direction and know the main routes, so I think I'd keep it. My worry really is with kids who are never forced to learn. I don't want my 18 year old nephew getting lost in the wrong part of town because the battery is dead in his cellphone.

I think I'm going to go buy him maps and make him keep them in the trunk at all times.

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I have no sense of direction whatsoever, so GPS is a lifesaver for me. Before it, I was just CONSTANTLY lost or I would just refuse to go anywhere. Yes, when the GPS takes me somewhere, I have no clue how to get there if I try again, but I'm exactly the same way with maps. I can use a map to get to a place 10 times and still have no clue how to get there the next time.

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he prob didnt know bc gps makes u do so many unnecessary turns lol

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I honestly feel like GPS does hinder our ability to read and understand maps or retain our sense of direction.

I have a great sense of direction but I find if I use the GPS to get somewhere I tend not to pay attention to how I got there.

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LOL I have no idea how people get around without a general sense of direction! My husband always asks how I know how to get everywhere...and I think its because as a teenager I drove all over the place and I know what runs east-west on the north shore, south shore, I know what runs north south and side roads to avoid all traffic.

To answer your OQ, yes I feel they're replacing peoples sense of direction, but alot of people will never have it regardless.

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DH has a terrible sense of direction - not a good thing since he is a bus operator, but since he sticks to the same routes his passengers are ok.

I have a good sense of direction, and I also tend to remember places and how to get to them.
Hagstrom maps were my best friend in my early driving years. I had them for Nassau, Suffolk, NYC and some upstate counties, as well as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Reminds me that I need to get new and updated ones for my car.
We do have and DH uses GPS in his car. It does come in handy in unfamiliar territory, like when we go on vacation, but I still like to have my paper maps as backup.
Old habits die hard.

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I dont see the GPS as any different than a map or mapquest... so no...

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My DH and I have had many conversations about this. I absolutely think that GPS negatively impacts one's sense of direction, and causes people not to learn where they are going. For example, my SIL & BIL drive frequently between home and my BIL's parents in PA. They always use a GPS, even though they go there almost once per month. Often they will call us in a panic and say, "The GPS is directing us through Manhattan! What do we do?" Now, after making this trip a good 40+ times, you would think they would know how to go on their own, but they never bothered learning b/c they have a GPS!

DH has a great sense of direction, and mine is okay. We have no desire to get a GPS. We'd rather learn where we're going than rely on a device that could run out of charge or not direct you on the best route.

I use Mapquest to go somewhere new, but I think that's different than GPS because we still need to look for street signs, not just rely on "left turn in 20 feet."


ETA: Recently, we were following DH's parents down to Philly for a Bat Mitzvah. They were using their GPS. They started getting on the Garden State Parkway instead of heading toward the NJ Turnpike, until we honked at them to go to the tpke. DH was like, "my dad has driven to Philly so many times without a GPS, and knew how to go, but now that the GPS is giving him directions, he has no clue."

Message edited 6/2/2011 11:21:30 AM.

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Message edited 6/2/2011 11:33:14 AM.

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i tend to use GPS as a back up, because i know it doesn't always take you the 'best' way.

if i have to go somewhere unfamiliar, i look on Google Maps at home first, and sometimes even print out the map of the area so i can familiarize myself with it

then while driving, i'll either use that map, or the gps. if the gps takes me a different way, then i at least have the printed map as a back up

i just dont fully trust the gps's to get me where i need to go correctly, so i always feel better with some sort of printed back up (or google maps on my phone)

i agree with your point though.. i do think as people rely on them more and more, they lose their general ability to figure out direction on their own

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I have a basic knowledge of the placement of the highways on LI but couldn't tell you about the major roads, etc. I can read a map, but I'd rather have an electronic device tell me which way to go.

I LOVE my GPS and would be so lost without it.

I do understand what you're saying and I think that every new driver should know how to read a map!

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I agree that people are relying on electronics for many things they should be able to figure out on their own.

Everyone should know basic map reading. I remember my parents & I going out with a friend's family boating. The captain showed my dad (who sails all of the time) all of the fancy new electronic gadgets he has for his boat. When my dad asked if he could navigate without it, the guy laughed & said "probably not."

For the rest of the trip, my dad showed him the buoys, land masses, etc on a map.

For me, I can be dropped in almost any town & country outside of a desert. I have every confidence that I'd be able to figure it out.

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I think it all depends on the person.

My mom is horrible with direction. She was once headed from Cedarhust to Elmont...and ended up in Long Beach. For her, GPS is a great tool. She can go places without having to pull over every 2 minutes to check the map. She'll go somewhere every day for two weeks and still need the GPS to get there on week 3...same if she was using a map.

My brother is pretty good with direction, but sometimes he'll rely on the GPS as opposed to learning how to get there.

I take after my mom, but I remember how to get somewhere after I've done it once or twice. Also I hate sitting still in traffic if I can avoid it, so I will randomly pull off onto side streets and then have GPS find me a way home. I know a ton of alternate routes to places I go frequently because of this.

ETA: We can all read maps

Message edited 6/2/2011 7:59:52 PM.

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A GPS is a good thing, but it doesn't entirely replace maps. Maps give you a much broader look at roads and highways for miles around. I keep a GPS in the car, but I still consult maps every now and then, which I now keep in the house.

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Posted by MrsA714

Some people have absolutely no sense of direction (like my mother for example ), so I don't think GPS has made her lose her sense of direction...she just never had any .

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Sure. But it's no different from calculators replacing basic math skills, and cell phone contacts replacing telephone number memory.

Just par for the course, IMO.

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Yeah its an issue

My hubby can't even talk to me about what exit to get off on if he doesnt have his phone on. And that doesnt ALWAYS work.

Sense of direction is lost

Me I always map it out ahead of time and look for major things like take I-35 until you're past Fort Worth and into Oklahoma city then we need to exit (so I'm fine until then) haha

When I got my driver's license I purposely filled up the tank (ok gas was $.74) and drive until I was a half tank down.. randomly. Then at half tank I had to get home. It taught me my area and also gave me a sense of position if you will in my mind.