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Mike covered a lot of the more useful aspects of these units; but by far the most useful had been the Garmin's traffic alert system. I had just purchased the unit, and was coming up I 95 from our other home in SC, when the Garmin's automatic “traffic alert” triggered and directed me to get in the extreme right hand lane as quickly as possible. At the time, I was rolling at about 85 MPH in very light traffic, with nothing apparent ahead. I did as the Garmin suggested, and as we approached an exit ramp at the crest of hill, all I could see for miles was brake lights. We took the exit (again at the Garmin's insistence) and the unit took us on a 5 mile detour route around the traffic and back onto I 95, without any input from me. It has performed equivalent nearly miraculous detours numerous times since, which (to borrow a MasterCard quote) is "priceless"....
That said, any GPS system is only as accurate as its last database update, and is not a substitute for common sense. If the speed limit on the road you are on changed from 35 to 25 MPH, or the next intersection changed to “No left turns” 5 min. after the latest database update, no local authority is going to accept “My GPS told me to do it” as justification for breaking the law………….
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“Anything really new is invented only in one’s youth. Later, one becomes more experienced, more famous – and more stupid.” - Albert Einstein
Last edited by JFP in PA; 01-09-2011 at 01:09 PM.
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