Geo-crashing

[yegger9]

I very nearly rear ended a semi-truck today while checking my GPS mounted to the dashboard of my work truck. Wondering how many people have had fender benders (or worse) while navigating.

[TookDadAlong]

No fender benders here, but the term "Geocaching turn" is easily understood by my wife and kids!

 

You know, that's when I'm exploring new territory and come to the turn a little quicker than expected; slam on the brakes; then take the turn a little faster than I should have. Or alternatively, when I realize that there's no way in he*$ that I can make the turn safely so drive on up the road and try to make a three-point turn on some narrow road with bad slight lines, etc. ect.

 

Of course, there is a very funny commercial for some product I can't possibly identify that goes something like this

 

ELECTRONIC VOICE: Turn left

 

Background noise: CRASH (As car drives through window)

 

ELECTRONIC VOICE: In fifty feet.

[Pylon]

wait, you mean you guys look at the road when caching and driving? heh, thats a great idea - i'll give that a try next time

Edited August 27, 2005 by Pylon

[TookDadAlong]

I don't usually look at the road, but the other person in the front seat generally does. I hope.

[+sTeamTraen]

On the way back from a successful caching trip last weekend, my wife lost control of our Miata when pulling away from traffic lights, and we spun off into a field of vines. No injuries, but the front bumper, radiator, and intercooler (this Miata has a turbo ) were all damaged. Car is currently in the shop awaiting delivery of various parts.

 

No navigation was in progress at the time, so maybe this is a little OT, but "a trouble shared..."

[+Blue Bomb]

Just checked my hitch receiver this morning to make sure it wasn't bent. Was on a 4x4 trail doing a cache yesterday, and dropped the hitch receiver on a big ol' rock when the rear wheels went into a mud hole the front wheels were just climbing out of. This is in a 6000 lb vehicle.

 

Even if it had been damaged, better to be the hitch receiver than the gas tank. Losing 40 gallons of gas at today's prices might have bankrupted me...

 

So no geo related accidents or damage yet, although I've had a few close calls. None involving (or even near) any other traffic, though.

[tttedzeins]

Read somewhere about some tourists who drove their car into a river cos the ol' GPSr "forgot" to tell them to wait for the ferry.

If anyone has the link it makes an interesting story.

[+Team Tired Boy]

My usual behavior is to drive 5 mph or even completely stop while navigating, completely oblivious to other cars around me.

[+hikergps]

It would be kinda cool if someone came up with a HUD projector that plugged into a usb port on GPSr's that projected the display onto the windshield. I've seen a few cars that do this with speedo readings and now infared imaging.

[TeamScrewball]

Criminal had quite the impressive little accident a year or two ago. Don't remember if he was caching at the time, but YOW that was quite the set of pics! Criminal, you around?

[+sTeamTraen]

Read somewhere about some tourists who drove their car into a river cos the ol' GPSr "forgot" to tell them to wait for the ferry.

If anyone has the link it makes an interesting story.

It's here.

 

Kinda funny, especially since I hate BMWs

[+The Bowser Family]

I often times forget to look at the road while driving... that darn arrow is just sooo eyecatching! I have never been in an accident while driving and geocaching but sure to get a lot of injuries... DANG! MY WIFE HITS HARD TO REMIND ME TO LOOK AT THE ROAD!!!

 

Ben

 

The Bowser Family

[+Team Noltex]

TeamScrewball Posted on Aug 27 2005, 09:47 AM

  Criminal had quite the impressive little accident a year or two ago. Don't remember if he was caching at the time, but YOW that was quite the set of pics! Criminal, you around

 

That was actually my cache. His log is here.

[+Anonymous']

TeamScrewball Posted on Aug 27 2005, 09:47 AM

  Criminal had quite the impressive little accident a year or two ago. Don't remember if he was caching at the time, but YOW that was quite the set of pics! Criminal, you around

 

That was actually my cache. His log is here.

Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

[+mikeatnight]

I got rear ended while making a geoturn, Luckily the girl was yammering on the cellfone and we stuck with that story to the cops. I forgot to mention the geocaching to the cops

[+Joe Smith]

We were on our way back from Philly for memorial day weekend and I was tired. We had a great weekend, and I got to do some caching too! Well it was about three AM and we just got some gas at a rest stop (PA turnpike)

 

I was VERY tired and my reaction time was very poor. i set the GPS to highway mode so I had a "heads up" of any turns. I was making good time, and was speeding back up to "normal speed" (about 85) after leaving a turn. I look down at the GPS, and as I look up i catch a flash of brown.

 

BOOM

 

 

A flash of white and the heat of the exploding airbag hit my face. Samantha grabs my arm screaming OH MY GOD!! She was asleep. Our friend (a budding geocacher) was laying down in the back seat without a seatbelt. She didn't even know what had happened.

 

 

i pull over and keep everyone calm. The car was in bad shape, but thankfully everyone was fine. I hurt my thumb on the airbag, but didn't break it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bottom line, I felt like I put everyone in danger by driving while i was that tired, and by not paying attention to the road. However the opinion from the others was had i not been looking down, i would have tried to miss the deer, and hit the concrete barrier, or flipped the car. Hitting it straight was the safest thing to do.

 

 

 

 

So there's my geo-crash!

Edited August 28, 2005 by Joe Smith

[+mr.volkswagen]

I usually look at my GPS when there is no traffic near. I also drifted into the other lane a few times. After that I just pull off to the side of the road.

 

mr.volkswagen

 

Also the wife is always yeling at me PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD! or DO i HAVE TO TAKE YOUR GPS AWAY SO THAT YOU WILL PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD!

Edited August 28, 2005 by mr.volkswagen

[WH]

Ive had numerous close calls but no accidents.

[+Lookout Lisa]

Here's one for y'all: I had my VERY recently paid off Subaru totalled during the Tri Cities Cache Machine September 2004! This was cache number 14 I think for my team, and as we were just starting to turn left across oncoming traffic, the 'old man muggle' behind me decided that even though I had my left turn signal on, he would attempt to pass me on the left. Ouch!! I just (August 2005) got my deductable back from his insurance....

 

 

We were car #3 I think in the lead of the Cache Machine pack, so shortly after the accident (9:30 am on a Saturday) about 20+ cars showed up all knowing me. The poor muggle must've thought that he hit royalty!

 

The good news is that no one was 'seriously' hurt, everyone was very helpful at the scene and we were able to cache on as passengers in another vehicle and still complete over 60 caches that weekend

[+zoltig]

Here's one for y'all: I had my VERY recently paid off Subaru totalled during the Tri Cities Cache Machine September 2004! This was cache number 14 I think for my team, and as we were just starting to turn left across oncoming traffic, the 'old man muggle' behind me decided that even though I had my left turn signal on, he would attempt to pass me on the left. Ouch!! I just (August 2005) got my deductable back from his insurance....

 

 

We were car #3 I think in the lead of the Cache Machine pack, so shortly after the accident (9:30 am on a Saturday) about 20+ cars showed up all knowing me. The poor muggle must've thought that he hit royalty!

 

The good news is that no one was 'seriously' hurt, everyone was very helpful at the scene and we were able to cache on as passengers in another vehicle and still complete over 60 caches that weekend

I think your name sez it all. You need an exclamation point after it.

[+Maeglin]

It would be kinda cool if someone came up with a HUD projector that plugged into a usb port on GPSr's that projected the display onto the windshield. I've seen a few cars that do this with speedo readings and now infared imaging.

The StreetPilot i-series devices give you almost that... the display is pretty small, but still quite usable (though, I've only had experience with the color version... preordered that thing), and depending on where you put it it's almost inline with the view of the road ahead. One more reason I like that much better than something mounted on or built into the middle of the dash.

 

Quick glance at the display to see that you're still going in the right direction, and the voice cues cut out the need for most of that.

[+doggity]

No accidents yet, but like everyone else who uses gps for road navigation, I've been distracted enough to appreciate the potential for one.

 

I first started using gps for long-distance motorycling, and the cognoscenti would always tell a newbie to remember that a gps is especially useful for reliably pinpointing the exact spot of an accident that totaled a bike because the owner was staring at the gps.

 

doggity

[+Wreck Diver]

As a Professional Firefighter/EMT, you can rest assured that the vast majority of car accidents I respond to are directly related to cell phones.

 

In fact, one of the accidents I responded to was a teenaged driver who drove into the back of a stopped motorist at 50 miles an hour without ever stepping on the brake pedal.

 

We are trying to EXTRICATE her and backboard her and though we had five people being backboarded and transported to the hospital in a Mass Casualty Incident, she continued to talk on her cell phone as we applied the straps over her torso and she all but refused to hang up as we applied head blocks... until we told her she was also going to be arrested for driving to endanger while distracted.

 

If you don't think this is much of an issue, stop on the side of the road and count the people driving by with their left hand and cell phone glued to the side of their head and eliminating a good portion of their left-side peripheral vision. I tend to expect every third person.

 

It's only a distraction 'til you kill someone.

 

Then it's the rest of your life.

[+reveritt]

I nearly had an accident soon after I bought my new Jeep, which has a built-in GPS. I waypointed my house and then drove across town to see if the thing could get me back home. It only took about two seconds to calculate the route, and then Deary (as I call her) began giving me verbal instructions.

 

I was in high-tech heaven, and fascinated with my new toy. She was leading me right back to my house--amazing! Then she told me to turn the wrong way on a one-way street. Because I instantly obey any command from a female voice, I made the turn, and nearly had a head-on collision! At that point, I began navigating for myself once again.