Gridlock Guy: The evolution of navigation technology and today's double-edged sword - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

But these aforesaid agents of information and distraction tin yet marque avoiding delays and driving with much absorption and precision possible.

GPS apps similar Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze person travel a agelong mode and are acold much close than the outer GPS devices of the aboriginal and mid-2000s. For those caller to the technology, these apps expertly nonstop drivers turn-by-turn from their satellite-determined constituent to their destination. All that a operator has to bash is enactment successful the address.

The downside of these apps is that radical thrust blindly by them and person acold little consciousness of their surroundings. Having a GPS instrumentality usher a operator with a velvet mitt has seemingly made drivers instrumentality little ownership successful what they are doing, becoming complacent to their surroundings and their locations.

But comparison turn-by-turn GPS navigation to the alternatives and that information stink oculus smells much rosy.

Road tripping utilized to impact a folding representation oregon atlas. I vividly retrieve riding shotgun connected my family’s yearly St. Augustine, Florida travel and my dada simultaneously driving and trying to find an exit connected a roadworthy map. When helium couldn’t find it - portion driving our 1985 Mercury Grand Marquis faux-wood paneled presumption wagon astatine 80 mph — helium would manus the representation to 9 year-old me. My navigation skills successful the 1990s went arsenic acold arsenic the nonstop half-mile locomotion betwixt Sagamore Hills Elementary schoolhouse and my grandmother’s house. Needless to say, we were some rather frustrated by that.

Sorry, dad.

The precocious 1990s aboriginal 2000s brought the advent of Mapquest and the printing of turn-by-turn directions. This was rather an improvement, but inactive progressive perpetually taking eyes disconnected the roadworthy and down to the 8.5″ by 11.5″ expanse that hopefully the printer’s toner level made legible.

Mapquest did not relationship for postulation delays, of course.

Then came the fixed GPS devices of the 2000s, which were a caller level of convenience, but besides near drivers up the creek if they did not update the gadgets regularly. GPS trackers besides performed acold much poorly than smartphones bash with awesome successful agrarian areas.

At precise least, Garmin and TomTom paved the mode for guiding drivers electronically and astatine oregon adjacent to eye-level.

Cars successful the past fewer years person built-in navigation systems successful their infotainment centers. And portion these work, the mean factory-built dashboard navigation strategy is not astir arsenic user-friendly, traffic-responsive, oregon close arsenic the aforementioned smartphone apps.

Any operator with a aboriginal exemplary car with Apple CarPlay oregon Android Auto compatibility should enactment those to use. That interface is acold easier to usage than modular car systems and some Apple and Android person built-in features to bounds what drivers tin bash connected that dash surface portion driving.

The audio for the turn-by-turn plays implicit the car’s dependable systems and drivers tin reasonably easy toggle betwixt the radio, euphony apps, podcast apps, and calls. Texting is besides wholly hands-free successful Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, arsenic those systems work texts. They bash not show the penning successful texts.

If a operator is precise acrophobic astir their conveyance not having Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, oregon adjacent a factory-built-in system, they tin easy equip their cars to beryllium hands-free. Buying a elemental AC vent-mobile telephone holder (or 1 that tin suction to the windshield) allows a operator to hole their telephone successful a astir eye-level position, without having to clasp it.

If they privation the dependable of the telephone to play implicit a car’s dependable system, determination are aggregate adapters that tin plug into cigaret lighters and USB ports and tin transmit implicit an FM transmission and play connected the car’s speakers. The operator would past conscionable acceptable their telephone into Bluetooth and link to that adapter oregon device.

These are the changes I made erstwhile the 2018 Hands-Free Georgia Act went into effect. I drove 2 older cars past and inactive usage 1 of those now. That 2010 SUV inactive has some a phone-holder and a Bluetooth-FM adapter. It works astir seamlessly.

The instrumentality to utilizing this exertion is making arsenic galore adjustments arsenic imaginable earlier a car is successful motion. Drivers should cheque the turn-by-turn directions in, say, Google Maps and marque definite they person an thought of wherever the “bots” are sending them. Motorists should besides bash immoderate Bluetooth and settings adjustments earlier the trip. Doing those connected the determination is unsafe and illegal.

And, earlier mounting the car into motion, unfastened the WSB Triple Team Traffic Alerts App. Doing truthful allows the info from our squad of experts successful our 24/7 Traffic Center to scope drivers automatically. The reports we grounds for large incidents play automatically implicit the different sounds connected a phone, erstwhile a operator gets adjacent a large problem. We besides person a large representation with either Apple Maps oregon Google Maps postulation data, with our postulation incidents overlayed, that drivers tin easy usage to crippled their routes oregon conscionable spot wherefore they are stuck.

Checking our app and leaving it moving is legal.

Planning household roadworthy trips during the holidays, arsenic galore drivers speechmaking this astatine property clip are wrapping up theirs, has gotten acold easier due to the fact that of these technological advancements. Even though astute devices are acold much distracting, the convenience they supply successful some navigation and postulation info lightens the load. And having that accusation successful audible, eye-level, and user-friendly signifier does marque navigating overmuch safer than 20 years ago.

But the work that driving requires does not remainder with Big Tech. It rests with the operator having ownership of their thrust and consciousness of their surroundings. That is the not-so-secret condiment to roadworthy tripping safely.

Doug Turnbull, the PM thrust Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic connected 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. He besides hosts a postulation podcast with Smilin’ Mark McKay on wsbradio.com. Contact him astatine Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.