Downside of GPS Navigation Systems: Trucks Hitting Bridges
Chevy Volt Vs. Nissan Leaf: Compare Cars
They both deliver smooth, all-electric power. They both plug into the wall to recharge their... Read More
- #4LEADERBOARD RANK
- 2904ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
- 1958COMMENTS POSTED
Add to circle
Navigation systems using GPS seem to be behind a whole host of bad behavior. They lead BMW drivers to the brink of cliffs, and now they're causing truck drivers in New York State to drive into bridges.
The engineering magazine IEEE Spectrum reports that GPS devices are directing truckers, especially out-of-state drivers unfamiliar with the region, onto limited-access parkways that ban commercial traffic and have bridges too low for modern tractor-trailer rigs.
The New York State Department of Transportation cites more than 1,400 truck-into-bridge accidents over the past 15 years, with the vast majority of them on the Hutchinson River Parkway in crowded Westchester County, just north of New York City. More damning, the NYSDoT says 81 percent of those were due to drivers following GPS directions.
New York State Governor David Patterson recently issued a press release promising renewed enforcement of laws against commercial vehicles on parkways, and the state is also trying to work with 20 GPS and mapping providers to include bridge clearance heights in their data sets.
The coments on the article are worth a read too. Don McCallum suggests anyone using a GPS device while driving should be ticketed; he wants all drivers to plan their routes in advance and commit them to memory.
Two rather more practical suggestions are warning frames at the entrances to on-ramps, with chains to indicate overpass height (from Eusebio Rufian-Zilbermann) and a "commercial truck" overlay option added to consumer GPS devices (from Steve Ouellette).
Meanwhile, we leave you with a special bonus video on the topic of trucks driving into bridges.
[IEEE Spectrum; photo by Flickr user Kim Scarborough]
Related Articles
-
OnStar Family Link Lets You Keep Tabs On Your Car (And Your Kids)
-
Supreme Court: GPS Tracking By Cops Without Warrant Illegal, Unconstitutional
-
Has The Government Attached GPS To Your Car?
-
Poll: Shoppers Still More Willing To Pay For Convenience Than Safety
-
Survey Says: Younger Drivers Prone To Get Lost, Frustrated
-
Follow Us
Most Popular This Week
More »
Nissan Rogue Vs. Honda CR-V: Compare Cars 
It's The End Of The Radio As We Know It 
Honda Accord Or Nissan Altima: Which One Does V-6 Better? 
Chevy Volt Vs. Nissan Leaf: Compare Cars 
Honda CR-V Vs. Hyundai Tucson: Compare Cars 
More From High Gear Media
Have an opinion?
Oldsmoboi Posted: 11/3/2009 12:41pm PST
esd Posted: 11/3/2009 1:50pm PST
Fizz Posted: 11/3/2009 2:05pm PST
greedo Posted: 11/3/2009 2:09pm PST
AutoMan Posted: 11/3/2009 2:50pm PST
raging moderate Posted: 11/3/2009 3:08pm PST
Damien Thomas Posted: 11/3/2009 4:26pm PST
marquis Posted: 11/3/2009 6:23pm PST
country girl Posted: 11/3/2009 10:01pm PST
Dadi Posted: 11/4/2009 12:43am PST
Cjn Posted: 11/4/2009 8:40am PST
Alex Penn Posted: 11/18/2009 3:24am PST
We are a taxi company Hummingbird Cars in London. We provide Airport Transfer service from all london airports.
We have recently started our new business and we require to buy Car navigation system or Tom Toms for our taxis . Can anyone suggest which type of navigation system and company is the best and where we can get the best deals.
http://www.hummingbirdcars.com
Thank you
Have an opinion?Join the conversation!