Travelers should never rely solely on technology for navigation, especially in the western United States, authorities remind us. Sure, technology is wonderful and helpful and even fun, but it also can be trouble.
A particularly tragic example: Rita Chretien, a woman from Penticton, British Columbia, who survived seven weeks alone in rugged, isolated mountains in Nevada, told her pastor that her new global positioning device was the reason she and her husband, Albert, got lost. Her husband has not been seen since March 22, when he set out on foot to find help?even though he entered his plan in the GPS device.
According to CBC News, Neil Allenbrand told the Penticton Herald that Chretien said the GPS in the couple's vehicle sent them in the wrong direction.
?She said to me: ?When we first went off the road, we thought it would just be a short road and we'd be back to the main road right away. The next thing we know, we turned down the wrong road and we were where we shouldn't be and it's dark and we can't find a way to turn around.??
Law enforcement and search-and-rescue officials said that too many travelers were letting technology give them a false sense of security, MSNBC reported.
?There are times when you need to put the GPS down and look out the window,? said Howard Paul, an experienced official with the Colorado Search and Rescue Board, the volunteer organization that coordinates that state's missions.
A GPS route might seem to be scenic and shorter than the heavily traveled highway, yet the GPS could miss an obstacle, such as a canyon that cannot be crossed. At best, you would be forced to spend your vacation time backtracking.
So keep and use up-to-date maps, pay attention to your surroundings, even ask advice from the folks in the towns you come across. And if you come to a fork in the road, the search-and-rescue experts say the safest route is the road most traveled.
Melissa Joan Hart Bianca Kajlich Giulianna Ramirez Ashley Greene April Scott
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