i do that on routes with a high chance of surprise traffic annoyances
this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
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me_irl
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That’s great for cities, but in the countryside there’s no such thing as traffic, yet so many people still use their GPS for destinations within less than 150kms. That’s not super great for the brain, it softens it as surely as having AI do your thinking for you does.
And to have an ETA.
I mean, I feel like I probably could drive myself the entire ~1200 miles/2000 km to my in-laws without using navigation, but it probably wouldn’t be the best route at a given time of day. I could easily be stuck in traffic because of a car wreck, construction, or just rush hour.
And to have an ETA.
I used to be able to do that in my head. Like look at a map, eyeball the median speed we'll be able to drive, the distance and I was usually within a 10-15min accuracy.
The point is that GPS map services factor in traffic data...
I know roughly how long it will take for me to drive the several hour trip to my mom's house when there aren't any accidents or construction work. It's those factors that affect my ETA.
If it’s a local destination that I know well I have a pretty good estimation in my head, but again those unexpected factors can throw a wrench in my plans.
in-laws
intentionally takes the most congested route possible
Oh nooo, not traffic! I guess we won't be able to meet them at the 4pm dinner special, and we'll miss Ron going on another tangent about taxes and gays. Better call them and let them know we are.... 4, maybe 6 hours behind schedule, maybe even more... How unfortunate.
Same. I don't use GPS to figure out how to get to my buddy's house for game night, I use GPS to figure out which way traffic fucks me over the least amount today.
Yup. Every morning. There are two highways possible and if there is an accident on the one I choose I will be stuck in traffic for two hours.
Your ancestors probably stayed within like a 5 mile radius their entire lives. Who are they to judge.
my ancestors who probably regularly got lost on their feudal lord's farm they lived on their whole lives: what a lucky lass with her magyk map, the future is wonderful
More like our ancestors got lost then just found a job and said "I live here now"
Sometimes I use it to remind me that I'm going somewhere, so my internal navigation doesn't go on autopilot and take me somewhere else.
As someone who doesn't need turn by turn to get really anywhere I still use it for traffic bypasses for long journeys.
True enough, but they change the roads every other week here and trafic fucks most of that anyway on any given day.
I don't for the traffic. Or at least that's what I tell myself.
They're wishing they had that available when they were alive.
I certainly do in highways and interstates. Google tells me where the cops are, and it's pretty good at it.
Yeah but they didnt have cars /s
But watching me type a destination a thousand kilometers away and getting there without having to plan it out with a map or getting lost and dying probably fucking blows their mind though.
Fifteenth time's the charm, OK? I have a poor memory.
Me looking at me...
I feel attacked
The only times there are road closures are when I don’t maps it.
We do have GPS in our brain. But it doesn't seem to work for some people, including my ex and my dad 😂
I use GPS a lot more now than I really need to because I’m using new routes. Trying to avoid highways and such, so my whole driving system has changed.
I know the fastest way to get places I've been going for years, but I don’t know the optimal route to avoid going over 55 mph.
EVs change everything.
I'm directionally challenged to say the least, but I still use my GPS 24/7 due to the relatively accurate police reporting. I tend to have a lead foot.