Women Say GPS Provides Sense of Security

Sun Apr 8, 2007 11:07PM EDT

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This year several friends have asked me about GPS systems for themselves, their parents, and their kids. I've had one friend who has been a devoted user of in-car GPS systems for several years, but now it seems most women would feel safer if they had a GPS system in their vehicle to make sure they don't get lost on the road.

A Zoomerang online poll found that 60 percent of women said they would feel better navigating roads with a GPS system. Granted, the company that commissioned the survey has a lot to gain by findings like these: TeleNav provides GPS services on mobile phones.

Still, it shows that GPS is more on the minds of women drivers, if not in their cars or on their phones quite yet. I couldn't find any similar poll of men. Is that because the common stereotype says men don't want to admit they need help with directions, period? Just a thought.

Have you added GPS to your car or cell phone, or do maps and online directions get you to your destinations just fine. Let me know if you agree with the poll. 

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  • 6 Posted by cornstalkva on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    and just to be clear for smart guy. I use my cell for calling Husband when I am off the road taking a break.

  • 7 Posted by diavian4me on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    I recently moved to a big city and the GPS my husband purchased for me is great. I don't get frustrated if I make the wrong turn because the GPS redirects me. This has been a great investment and I feel safe. When getting out the car I just remove it and put it my purse. I rarely take off the suction cup just the unit. Garmin GPS was recommended to us - it's user friendly.

  • 8 Posted by cjgvon on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:26PM EDT Report Abuse

    3 Posted by ccreal53 on Wed Sept 5,2007 9:19PM I like my GPS. It makes me feel safe when I am traveling along. I hate looking for streets and getting lost. My GPS finds a lot of streets but not streets in new subdivision. I didn't mount it on the dash, If I leave it in the car, I put it under the seat because I am afraid someone will break in my car just to steal it.

  • 9 Posted by ursus_delirus on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    ok, here's the thing, if you want to clump 1/2 of the population together simply because they have different things in their pants, you're missing the bigger picture...individual difference. some people, like me, are quite secure using our brains and maps and also hate getting directions. others may do things differently. that's the way the world works.

  • 10 Posted by the_honorable_spm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    Im a truck driver and I use the Garmin Street Pilot c330. I paid $450 for this GPS a year ago but I honestly would have paid thousands for it. It gets me anywhere in the country and works extremely well. I would not want to drive truck without my GPS.

  • 11 Posted by gnuelkevin on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    Not just women. a lot of men including me feel safer with an GPS. If you lived in a big city like New York where you have thousands of streets, roads and high ways. getting lost in wrong part of town can get you killed. Sure a map tells you where you are but it doesn't tell you how to get to your destination. taking wrong turns means wasted time and $$gas$$. Sure put a GPS in your car can attract thief but all you need to do is get a portable one with suction cup. stick it to your car when you are driving and put it out of sight when you are parking. it's just like putting your sunshade to your windshield. once you get use to it. it's nothing. If you are just driving down the streets to get milk or get your kids from school, you can just leave the GPS at home. I think most people have no problem remembering everyday short distance driving.

  • 12 Posted by hockadayjr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    yes gps is a good device but then you become dependant on it and can get lost when you cant find a signal. most systems have to have atleast three satilites to give somewhat of an acurrate location. the more you have the closser the approximat location. I have learned more by directions on a map and good terrain identification. without this information a GPS is only as good as the person using the device. most people can not give a dirrection when they are in the city or on flat ground so I am sure it would help anyone in that inviroment especialy truck drivers.

  • 13 Posted by chamgreen102 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    How many GPS systems do I own? 4 How many do I use in my car? None. Like a previous poster said, they are magnets for theft, I don't need my windows broken. If I get lost I can quickly look at a map which doesn't need any power or I can just ask for directions. I don't understand why these women need "security". Are they afraid of being carjacked? Mugged? Or maybe ending up in a neighborhood with people who have a different skin color? Get a life.

  • 14 Posted by cutiecew921 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't agree with gps because I can get around just fine without the support, for example I just drove over labor day weekend by myself to the east side of the state and I did not need a gps system I knew exactly how to get there and I did it in the dark. Most women do need a gps but I am not one of those women I have a great sense of direction, we are going to cali in the next few days and I know we will get there just fine besides it is an added expense that I don't need nor does my husband.

  • 15 Posted by fitnicof2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    I definitely feel safer with my GPS in the vehicle. I am, what I like to refer to as, "geographically challenged!" The GPS, in my opinion, was an ingenious invention. My fiance loves it as well. We can travel anywhere and feel confident about not getting lost. It's definitely a time-saver when you have no clue where you are going.....but need to get there pronto! By the way, we own the Garmin Nuvi. It's so compact...fits nicely in my purse! As far as theft goes, we don't "advertise" it. We always take down the suction cup/mounting device when we're not in the vehicle.

  • 16 Posted by klondike2k on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    i bought one, i'm a guy and anticipated going to a city 4 hours away for a concert. it found my motel, the concert place, alot of missed turns but would reroute. in the am when i was leaving i needed a good coffee for the road and it listed places and then i hit go-to. way better than maps especially traveling alone, at night and in strange places. i'm flying somewhere in a few weeks and renting a car and am bringing it w/ me. BUT on carry-on not checked. you can set it to announce upcoming streets or not. i like it !! it rests on dash board on soft/sticky rubber beanbag you can adjust it up and down and for better viewing. screen bright enough for day and not too bright for night. when i park i put it in dark bag on floor to not invite trouble streetpilot 2720

  • 17 Posted by pdkingma on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    GPS was a big help to me when my daughter was ill and I flew to Texas to help out. I had to take my grandson to and from school and do other errands. I had no clue where I was, but I never got lost.

  • 18 Posted by leroym1978 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree eith smart guy. Women generally can't find where they're going most of the time. Do they really need to add the distraction of a gps to their already poor driving skills??

  • 19 Posted by divingdiva001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    I love my GPS. As a female executive, I travel weekly throughout the U.S. on business. Gone are the days when I've arrived in a strange city late at night, juggling the steering wheel, a map or trying to read directions on a 6-lane highway in the dark in a rental car. I simply enter my destinations prior to my trip and it's just a matter of entering a few keystrokes when I arrive. I also love that I can pull up restaurants, lodging, airports, etc. in the vicinity of where I am driving. With regard to those who expressed concerns for safety/theft, my unit attaches to the windshield with a suction cup and is easily removed when I exit the car. I simply plop it in my handbag or briefcase and I'm on my way. With a different rental car each week, I've not lost it yet, through theft or negligence. It's significance has nothing to do with gender, it has to do with utilizing technology to it's best advantage.

  • 20 Posted by rhys_sage on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I am useless at maps. I always have been. My GPS isn't great but it gets me to within 30 yards of where I should be although some of the insructions are interesting - illegal U-turns, turn left then immediate right when the junction isn't exactly rectangular etc.

  • 22 Posted by chevy_pickup_man on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a Gps in my Truck and also one on our Honda Goldwing trike, I just punch in the address and away we go I use the Tom Tom 900 and the advance warning to a turn is great, If you have ever tried to read a map on a Motorcycle you will understand wher I'm coming from. The wife thinks it great now she says I will take directions from someone else.

  • 23 Posted by rick_hofstetter on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    My husband gave me a Garmin for Christmas last year. I sulked and then he hooked it up and I haven't been "ok" mentally without it since! It finds the closest Starbucks, my childrens schools (fields for soccer, swim, softball, etc) and takes me on long trips; tracks gas usage, efficiency, and GET THIS is a blue tooth for my cell phone keeping my hands free with an awesome speaker phone in my car. I have to laugh at the scary jerk who wrote the comment about women drivers doing too much and getting distracted when they drive; almost two to one men are proven worse drivers (yes, check the stats). Anyway, it is a gift from the Gods!

  • 24 Posted by jcspacy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    Because of spouse's job, we've moved cross-country & internationally 20 times and counting. He's a natural navigator, I used to get lost everywhere. Having a GPS (internal, ordered with car) has made me a SAFER driver, as the GPS gives spoken commands to anticipate turns, bear left, lane change, etc. & it has the option to just show a road directional arrow on dark background. This is so much less distracting than reading maps, trying to find street signs which may or may not be there, wondering which lane one should be in. This has to be one of the best inventions ever, & I'll always have one.

  • 25 Posted by johnhtran1985 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    Maps I think it's Ok, but I like to have a good GPS in my car. First, feel very confident driving on the road. (Special at night). Second, lady voice from GPS is very soft that keeps me wake. (Specially not following GPS direction)

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