7 Reasons Why A Dedicated Vehicle Gps Navigation System Is Safer Than Gps For Your Smartphone

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The GPS Navigation navigation unit offers a number of compelling safety benefits to drivers going into unfamiliar territory, including keeping us from getting lost, guiding us to the nearest service station, rest area or hospital, and allowing us to report our precise location to emergency responders. Though the presence of another electronic device in the car or truck can be a distraction, those of us who remember wrestling with big, unwieldy paper roadmaps while trying to hold our eyes on the road see the in-vehicle GPS revolution as a net benefit, particularly with the inclusion of voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions. Today there's a new revolution in progress, namely the increasing availability and sophistication of GPS functions on cell phones, including the iPhone, Android and Google Nexus One. However, from a safety standpoint, there are strong arguments as to why the GPS for your cell phone is best used when you are stopped or seated in the passenger seat and a dedicated in-vehicle GPS Navigation system remains a better option: 1. Eyes Ahead - Read With Your Ears: Among the main risks of electronic products in the car is the fact that they pull your eyes away from the street ahead. Virtually all dedicated in-car GPS Navigation systems provide spoken turn-by-turn directions ("in one mile, turn left"). The best units also feature text-to-speech ability, i.e., they read the street names aloud ("in one mile, turn left on Main Street"). Smartphone applications do not always provide these functions and the speaker volume and sound quality is typically significantly better on dedicated GPS Navigation devices, which have larger loudspeakers. 2. Display Size: Even with spoken directions, there will be moments when the driver must refer to the GPS Navigation unit's visual map display. While the quality of mobile displays continue to advance, their size remains small, substantially smaller than that of a dedicated GPS Navigation device. This makes it more difficult to discern details and has the potential to keep your eyes off the street longer. 3. Size of Controls: Touch screens can be tricky to operate even when you're not driving. Since cell phones are smaller than dedicated GPS Navigation units, the soft control keys we push to control the unit are also smaller, requiring additional effort, finesse, and time to operate. Once more, this has the potential to hold your eyes off the road. 4. Heads Up: Dedicated GPS units are usually affixed to the windshield or dashboard such that they do not require the driver to move his / her head to read the screen; simply shifting the eyes can offer a satisfactory view. Unless a mobile phone is mounted in a similar way, as opposed to placed on the passenger seat, in the cup holder or ash tray as is frequently true, the driver will need to not only avert eyes and head to look at the display, but also may need to remove a hand from the wheel to hold the phone so it can be more conveniently viewed, another distraction. 5. Power: While dedicated GPS systems typically plug into the auto's power, we are accustomed to the convenience of using our mobile phones without plugging them in. While operating on battery power, the cell phone's screen saver may activate, requiring you to reactivate it (by touching the display, for example), another distraction and requirement to remove a hand from the steering wheel. 6. It's For You: It's easy to forget that your cell phone is, well, a telephone. An poorly-timed cellular phone call could interfere with your capability to navigate. 7. Precision: Receiving a Gps navigation transmission from space requires an antenna and sensitive GPS Navigation chip. A dedicated GPS device features a bigger antenna and normally a very sensitive GPS chipset which makes sure you can acquire GPS Navigation signals even among tall buildings and beneath a forest canopy. A smartphone handset cannot provide a similar level of sensitivity therefore would not be able to determine your location as precisely. Why is this a safety concern? Without a good fix on your location, your GPS may route you incorrectly or furnish directions too late for you to complete a turn safely. There's no question that cell phone technology will continue to advance and tackle a number of these safety issues, but in the meantime there remain strong safety advantages in utilizing a dedicated in-car GPS Navigation unit while using your cell phone only as a backup or while riding shotgun. Modern dedicated GPS Navigation systems, including Garmin's nuvi series, are portable and light, easily carried in your handbag or briefcase. If you must operate your cell phone to navigate while driving, take these steps to maximize safety: - Confirm your mobile phone is mounted to your windshield or dashboard in a "heads-up" location. - Plug your phone into your car's power outlet. - Ensure the speaker volume of your smartphone is sufficient; use your car's speakers by plugging your car or truck's speaker jack (if available) into your phone; alternatively, use the cell phone's wired or wireless earpiece to be sure that you can hear spoken directions clearly. - Prepare and review your route in advance of when you head out and while stopped. - Remain off the phone until you are stopped or traveling in a region where you don't require immediate GPS support