'RECALCULATING ROUTE' - GPS HAS ITS ADVANTAGES, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE A DISTRACTION ON THE ROAD

  • Published
  • By Maj. Frank Cooper
  • 14th Flying Training Wing flight safety
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  "Recalculating route."

How many times have you heard a global positioning system say this simple phrase to you while driving?

Pilots have known for a long time about the perils of relying on GPS for everything. It is a known distraction, and as any instructor pilot will tell you, a GPS can decrease the situational awareness of a student faster than a pretty moving map display can restore it. Knowing this, we train in the flying regime to always accomplish a proper mission plan, complete with fuel planning and route study, and we use GPS as one of many tools in a full bag of tricks. Occasionally a pilot will forget this, and we hear the inevitable "there I was" story as a result.

Recently on a couple of different TDYs, I have seen similar detrimental effects from the use of GPS and moving maps while driving. Some issues were as simple as getting lost by relying too much on a cell phone or GPS for directions. Other issues were more serious and nearly caused accidents because drivers either had late reactions to the directions or gave too much attention to the device and not enough attention to the road.

In one glaring instance I witnessed the ultimate example of this. The vehicle driver was driving on a busy highway while adjusting the displays on his cell phone map. At the same time, the front seat passenger used the rental GPS and a rear seat passenger used another cell phone.

With the inevitable disagreement of three devices and three "navigators," the multiple distractions caused the vehicle to be a serious hazard in heavy traffic. To top it off, despite having all of that technology, they missed the first three turns completely. It is a minor miracle no mishap occurred as a result of this task saturation and buffoonery.

With that in mind, you can use some simple tips (right) to help you safely use GPS the next time you are driving around in an unfamiliar area. Ensure your GPS becomes a great asset to your travels rather than the cause of frustration or an accident.