GPS getting you into trouble

Discovery Channel has a show on called Hell Roads. (It will be on
again Feb 4 and Feb 5). One of the roads is the Tail of The Dragon in
North Carolina with something like 300 turns in 20 miles.

One of the big problems is an increase in use by tractor-trailer rigs
because the gps tell them it is a shortcut. My guess is the drivers
are using the low priced auto use models rather than the specialty
units.

Seems as though the trucks cannot make the turns and stay in one lane
and on coming traffic comes around the corner and they get wiped out.
See it here

318 in 11 miles, but who's counting? :-)


I drove the Dragon a year and a half ago, but I wasn't on the bike at
the time. It's a nice road, but I don't think it's at all deserving of
the reputation it has for being great. If pressed, I could name a half
dozen other roads that are as good when it comes to curves, but better
because they are wider and mostly have actual shoulders, and they
aren't full of trucks like the Dragon is getting to be. Oh, and they
aren't full of law enforcement, like the Dragon is getting to be.

The day I was there, I had to stop at one point to let a tow truck
drag a semi truck through a curve. The driver couldn't make the tight
curve, tried to back up to get a better angle, and only made things
worse. Having said all of that, I like TV programs like this. I agree
with the assessment that truckers are probably getting sucked in by
their GPS, thinking it's a shortcut. Once they're on the road, there's
no turning around. Signage or truck restrictions would be nice.

wrote:




This show focused more on the deaths, but it seems most are self
inflicted. There can be a fine line between crazy and fun. In most
cases the accidents could be avoided by slowing down.




At this point, I cannot imaging NOT having huge sign restricting
trucks. A few months ago I was on a two lane road in Italy and when I
reached an intersection, the road I chose had signs for no trucks or
busses. I took the road and could not understand why the restriction.
About 5 miles later, I was squeezing between two buildings and around
a corner. Oh, that's why.

My guess as well.

Although, the Garmin units that are designed for OTR trucks aren't
particlarly expensive, so it may just be ignorance.

You could spend $200 on an auto model, or $250 on a trucking
model--complete with lifetime maps and traffic.

On Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:32:18 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:


Just watched the video. We have much more difficult roads here
in and near the Alps. But the locals usually know how to drive
safely, and so the accidents don't seem excessive.

At least one road here (the one serpentining up the mountain to
Urfeld at the Walchensee) is prohibited for bicycles on
weekends, but of course I still see some there.

Of course, all of these roads could be driven perfectly safely
if the drivers drove sensibly. The road itself is not dangerous,
stupid drivers are.

Hans-Georg