"Death by GPS" again. Almost.

[Foy]

I just read a story from the western Montana newspaper "Missoulian". It tells of a young couple from Wisconsin who were headed home on October 28 following a visit to Yellowstone NP. They'd booked a motel in Miles City, MT for their first night homeward bound, punched its address into their smartphone GPS, and followed its directions to Cooke City, MT and US 212--the Beartooth Highway.

Problem was the Beartooth Highway had been closed for a month and they said nothing emanating from the smartphone indicated US 212 is a seasonal highway. They also indicated they'd seen no signs indicative of its closed status.

So, they got to a point about 35 miles from Cooke City, encountered deeper and deeper snow, decided to turn around, and got stuck. They rationed the little bit of food they had with them and slept covered up by the clothing from their luggage. After 7 nights marooned, some of them with subzero temps, a local rancher, having heard news reports of a couple missing since last seen in Yellowstone NP, took it upon himself to take his snowmobile out the Beartooth Highway to see if he might find them.

The rancher did find them, immediately, and brought them out on his snowmobile. The couple had given up hope for rescue and had written goodbye notes to their families.

Why anybody ventures out so completely unprepared, and with zero in the way of situational awareness, is beyond me. Trust my life to a "smart" cellphone? No way.

Foy

[glc]

Eris beat you to it:

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum...-Beartooth-Hwy

[Eris]

Foy. I think we are from the old school brought up on paper road maps with a degree of vision.

Sounds like science fiction but down the road can see new smart cars that have a mind to compensate for our google heads,
Imagine driving towards the Beartooth Pass and the car through an audio outlet speaks up, “You are driving along a road which is closed ahead owing to snow. Turn around or I stop here.”

Thought of some more examples.

“You smell of alcohol and you are unfit to drive. I will not move until you are sober.”

“You are heavy on the accelerator. Ease off or I shall lower your revs.”

“I am filthy and dirty. Clean and polish me or I will not move.”

And if you argue with the car it will say, “My maker says I have the last word. Do as you are told or I will not move.” I’ve heard that line before somewhere but sensibly will not explore it.

And as a final thought. You get in the car and say you are going on a road trip you may get the reply. “I have an headache and I am tired. I am not moving.”

You never know what progress will bring! Eris.

[Lifemagician]

Eris, I've copied those to my treasure file of quotes.

Maybe you and I won't see it, but I don't think you're too far off the mark. What with the cars we have now which park themselves.... and the ones which slow down when you get too close to the car in front.

As the song went in Oklahoma.... What next?

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

Oh that sort of thing is already coming. You can already see elements of it with things like adaptive cruise control and the various crash avoidance systems that are showing up in very mid priced non-luxury cars. Of course the problem is in many ways they only make the above problems worse as people are even less focused on their job behind the wheel and are quick to blame that same technology when they do get into a crash while texting, eating, and reading a book while doing 75 in a blinding rainstorm....

[Foy]

Sounds like science fiction but down the road can see new smart cars that have a mind to compensate for our google heads

Eris.

I suppose we'll have to hope the "smart" cars will be programmed more effectively than our "smart" phones.

My 26 year-old son says it best: "I love my iPhone, but it makes me stupid."

It's not just you, son, lots of people become very stupid with a "smart" phone in their hands.

There is no complete substitute for a map, a compass, and the ability to use them.

Foy