New Study Reveals GPS Navigation Systems Often Give Poor Directions

I bought a Garmin about a year and half ago but I don't use it everyday but it's a lifesaver when you need to go somewhere. I have never had a problem with it finding where I need to go. You need to use common sense when you use a GPS. When you know that you are not going in the right direction ask someone if you feel unsure. Garmin is the best GPS.

We bought a Garmin 205 series before going on a 3 week trip to Florida, it saved us so much stopping and asking for directions. I love the portability so that we could take it into the hotel with us to locate places in the vicinty to eat, we knew exactly where and how long it would take us to get there and back to the hotel safely. My husband only wishes that he would of had such a guideness when he did so much business traveling, but now that we are retired & sometimes we drive and some flying we can take our GPS with us. We wouldn't be without one and when buying a new vechicle that would have the GPS as an option would certainly be researched as to whether we would just be much happier with the portable GPS much more flexibility.
LOVE IT!!!!

I have used Garmin GPS's for about 2 years and wouldn't go anywhere without one. I constantly use them to locate addresses in remote areas within a several hundred mile radius. In rural areas they'll typically get you within 50ft. to 1/4 mile. Sometimes you will still need to look at street numbers to find an actual address, but it's better than printing mapquest directions, or getting out a map. In metropolitan areas it will bring you to the door about 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time you'll be within 50 ft. If you're mildly retarded I wouldn't recommend using one, but if you're functionally literate, and have the ability to read numbers, you should never have a problem. Of course once it sent us down a highway that a hurricane had washed out a bridge on a week earlier, but we simply turned around and were re-directed. I have never used anything but Garmin GPS's, and last year upgraded all systems to the Garmin nuvi's. They range from $100-$300 and aside from some talking more than others, they all give the same directions.

I have A GPS. I am a visiting nurse and I love it. It's a Magellan and Great!

Got a GPS for $99... it talks...best one to use...
I have had zero problems and it has steered me to places that I would have sworn was the opposite direction...it also shuts up my wife, who thinks she knows how to get everywhere...she has since shutup and listens to the GPS...and all for $99..
technology is wonderful !!

My daughter travels all over doing psychological testing on kids, and I often go with her. We were once out in remote farm country and came upon a "road closed" where we were supposed to turn. She has a Garmin and she asked it to re-route. In a few seconds we were back on our way. She has had great success with it. I got one for Christmas and my husband just picked one up as well. He was anti-gps until he played around with mine before wrapping it. He was very impressed. Yes, take some time to learn how to use it. I would always have a map for back-up anyway.

I have a GPS in my Denali and I can't imagine not using it. I love the way the maps show up as I drive along the streets in my town. It's really been helpful in large cities.

wife got me a phone with GPS on it,, i didnt know it,, she walked in and caught me humping my girlfriend,,, i switched from nextel real quick!

I drive once a month from the Pocono's to Allentown, 40 miles, and I drive over BLUE MOUNTAIN on back roads to get there. If I have my gps on, it keeps telling me to make a U TURN all the way to where I am going. I don't think it likes Allentown

Being a Republican I actually have a brain and don't follow mindlessly where I am told to go. If my GPS said to drive into a river I think I would say, "Hmmm. Maybe this is not a good idea. Maybe I shouldn't do this." So this article is obviously targeted to the Democrats who blindly follow instructions without question. Good luck!

i allmost made it .i was just 1/4 mile away from my friend who moved to branford ct. the gps made me go around a circle the same time after time after time. asked for directions go back down the street take left at railroad crossing i was there in five minutes. and my gps cost $400.00. so i don't think any of them are perfect bring a map for backup.

By a fn map you stupid distracted bastards, and try to pay attention to driving that piece of shit foreign car you're in........

I wouldn't use a GPS if you paid me. If they give similar directions to those found on Mapquest, Yahoo Maps, etc., they're worthless. When I want a good laugh, I'll look at the directions on those sites. Sometimes, they're accurate (rarely), but mostly I think they're in league with the tollway system or the people really just don't know the streets around here. For the longest time, the directions given on one of them would have actually required me to drive through my neighbors' backyards. It didn't tell even me to start on my own street (which is E-W), but a street a block down which is N-S! Dumb, dumb, dumb! I love maps and atlases, and read them like novels. I truly never ever get lost -- it's gotten to the level of being freaky, not even getting lost in Italy, even though I didn't have a regional map with me at the moment. There is no substitute for knowing your directions and where at least the major streets and towns are.

Another reason I'd never have one -- BIG BROTHER! No thanks! If I ever bought a vehicle equipped with one, I would have it removed.

This past summer the family and I left the midwest to visit the East coast. Ma, Me, and NH, and I used my GPS constantly. It got me exactly where I wanted to go and without any problems what so ever. Giving the choice of the shortest route or the quickest, I learned very fast to select the quickest, the shortest route would take you very slowly through downtowns, side streets, and etc. The quickest route uses interstates and main drags. Anyway the GPS was my life saver on the trip and I highly recommend it to any one traveling.

We bought one of the first Garmin's and have upgraded several times. We now have the one that does almost everything except the dead reckoning function. No, it's not perfect, yes, it makes mistakes, but that's usually because of our error entering something incorrectly, or an error on the part of the person who programmed the map for that area. It has been helpful many a time. I do laugh however when we decide to take a different route than the one it gave us. The old units would go "beep-beep-beep" very loud, the later ones would say "recalculating" in a upbeat tone of voice. But I swear the newest one says "recalculating" with a slightly sarcastic downbeat voice (RE-CAL-Cu-la-ting). Has anyone else noticed that?

A GPS doesn't make your car go anywhere. No one says you have tell it where you are going. Sometimes it's just handy to use instead of dealing with a big unwieldy folded map. It also seems to have a more accurate speedometer than our car. Probably has saved us a few tickets.

I have given up driving because it is so annoying to deal with other drivers. My daughters want me to go on a cruise and I tell them I don't need to because I have the Travel Channel on my tv.

Mapquest has you going hundreds of miles out of the way just to keep you on an Interstate or major highway. We checked out driving to Sheridan, Wyoming from Boise, Idaho and they wanted us to drive way up into Montana and back down when there is an almost direct route right through Yellowstone Park (probably not good in winter.)

When one of my children visited from the east coast she couldn't understand why we never took the freeway. I reminded her that it was called the "Interstate" because you would be going to another state. She tried it anyway and it took an extra 30 minutes from Boise to Eagle than if she had taken the back roads.

It must be great to be rich and complain of things regular or poor people can never afford.

For those with Garmin and TomTom periodically update your GPS through their respective websites.. I updated my Garmin which is now fine. Noticed though when low on battery that it gets erratic.
Overall, it's fine.

My Magellan locked up the other night and I almost got killed in the gettho

Not reliable at times. I carry a map