Your GPS is Leading You Astray
- Selina Barker
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Have you ever had to slam on the brakes because someone cut across 3 lanes just to catch their exit? Or had to swerve around a car sticking halfway into your lane because the driver suddenly decided they needed to turn even though they weren’t in the turning lane?
Mistakes on the road multiply when people don’t know how to get where they’re going. They treat missing an exit or a turn as the end of the world and expect everyone else to accommodate the dangerous, last second maneuvers they risk just to stay on route.
These days, most people rely on a GPS, either built into their vehicle or on their cell phone, to guide them along the quickest or easiest route. But before GPS, people really got to know their way around. Those who frequently drove around unfamiliar areas, like taxi or delivery drivers, would consult paper maps and use critical thinking skills and trial and error.
“...on the wall of every pizza joint was a wall-size street map that delineated the delivery boundaries with a thick black line. Drivers knew the one-way streets and, more importantly, the location of alleys if main thoroughfares were blocked.” - George Mahe, dining editor at St. Louis Magazine
In the pre-GPS days, drivers knew the roads. If they spotted traffic backing up, they knew how to adjust and find another way around. And sometimes, they just got lost and had to figure out how to get back. These skills are disappearing with the increasing reliance on satellite navigational aids. Drivers are losing the ability to think critically, and executive functions and decision-making skills, which are vital for safe driving, are being weakened.
“When we rely on our phones to get around, we’re passing up a chance to use our natural navigation skills—ones that humans can lose if they don’t use them frequently enough...” - Michael Driver, The Atlantic
Reliance on GPS Maps Causes Navigational Skills to Deteriorate
In a study conducted by researchers at McGill University, drivers who used GPS exhibited less brain activity than those who did not. The researchers found that relying on GPS maps for navigation can negatively impact brain function, especially in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial navigation and memory.
“Neuroscientist Veronique Bohbot of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said the results of the studies suggest using spatial memory regularly may improve the function of the hippocampus and could help ward off cognitive impairment as we age.” - Lin Edwards, Medical Xpress
Drivers who regularly used their spatial memory instead of relying on GPS also performed better on standard cognitive tests. Safe driving demands people exercise their critical thinking and decision-making skills, often within a fraction of a second. When drivers blindly follow GPS without looking where they’re going and using their judgment, they put others in danger. Drivers have unquestioningly followed satellite navigational aids into lakes, sand pits, trees, and even houses.
In extreme cases, people who trusted their GPS over their own eyes and judgment have died in collisions or after being led into extremely remote areas. Spatial awareness and critical thinking skills help keep drivers safe and alive.
GPS allows drivers to disengage with their surroundings. They passively receive directions instead of actively processing how they got from point A to point B, what landmarks they passed, how routes connect, or what alternate paths were available. In contrast, drivers who navigate without GPS form a richer understanding of the areas they travel and strengthen their problem-solving and decision-making muscles. And just like muscles, these skills grow stronger the more you use them, making it easier to navigate safely.
In order to improve and hone these skills, put away the GPS whenever you can – especially when driving familiar routes. Always pay attention to the road, traffic, weather conditions, and signage. If your GPS says to proceed on a road with a “road closed” sign, don’t trust the machine over your own eyes and brain.
Sources:
Comments