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In car GPS navigators are now one of the most popular consumer electronics to buy in Australia. Should you be joining the crowd or upgrading now?
Handheld and portable in-car GPS navigation units are becoming the latest ‘must have' high tech purchase. Why?
Convenience
The number one reason for buying a GPS navigator is the ease and convenience of being directed to a nominated location. High end GPS navigators from leading brands such as Navman provide you the additional convenience of mileage and expenses tracking that can be used for tax reporting.
Safety
GPS manufacturers such as TomTom report research that drivers using a navigation system feel more in control, less distracted and less stressed.  Nearly all GPS navigators offer help, for example TomTom GPS navigators offer a "Help Me" menu, with access to "Phone for Help", "Drive to Help", "Walk to Help", "Where am I" and "First Aid Guides".
Handheld GPS units have been recommended for bushwalkers for years. A GPS enabled mobile phone can add an additional safety net for the occasional weekend bush walker.
Sanity
Perhaps you are quietly considering a car navigator simply to avoid arguments with a map challenged spouse. Take a wrong turn and the GPS navigator simply recalculates and continues on.
Limitations of a GPS Navigator
Before you purchase a car GPS Navigator and think all your driving dreams will come true, consider the limitations of any GPS system.
Line of sight GPS satellite signals
GPS devices rely on "line of sight" signals from multiple satellites to enable them to calculate location, direction and speed. So your car or handheld sat nav can lose your position while traveling through the CBD of cities such as Sydney or Melbourne.
This also means that you won't be able to sit in your brick garage and use your GPS, but wait until you are on the road.
Maps
Satellite navigation requires a GPS device plus local maps. How useful or effective your GPS navigator is in getting you from point A to point B is a function of:
- the quality of the maps (up to date information, points of interest),
- the algorithms used to calculate trip directions and
- the options provided (fastest distance, no tolls, shortest distance).
Your GPS navigator is not going to know short cuts, traffic conditions or traffic lights.
Stupid Drivers
Putting a GPS navigator in your car doesn't mean you take your brain out! The evening news has featured drivers who followed GPS directions without question, causing traffic mayhem or with more tragic outcomes.
Traffic signs change often yet your GPS maps are updated occasionally, so you still have to respect the one-way road sign despite the Angelina Jolie like voice purring "take the next turn right".
Local knowledge
Your GPS will not be able to replicate local knowledge, take into account seasonal information or short-term traffic problems. There are plenty of stories on ‘grey nomad' websites recounting GPS car navigator hiccups crossing outback Australia.
Often it is simply the routing algorithm choosing a "highway" over a local road, unfortunately in some cases adding 500 km to your trip. While GPS navigators are very convenient, a quick look at the atlas and listening to existing conditions on local radio is still sensible!
Don't buy a GPS Navigator?
Before you search out the best deal on a TomTom, Navman or Mio, would it be better to wait until you next upgrade your mobile phone handset or you purchase new car? Integrated GPS navigation for your phone or car is quickly becoming a standard option.
In the meantime, you are not limited to just a paper directory for navigating your next trip. A number of websites including Google and Telstra's Whereis that offer you Australian trip planners with directions and maps. With a little research before leaving, you can take customized directions and maps for your journey.
Check out the following sites:
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