WA state DOT: Maps are obsolete, but GPS has issues

Compare and contrast. From the official site:

Due to state budget reductions and advances in new driver-assistance technologies such as GPS, online driving directions and in-vehicle navigation systems, WSDOT is no longer offering paper copies of the state highway map.

From DailyTech.com:

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, 623 collisions occurred within the state from 2006 to 2010 due to GPS units/computers. Two of these collisions were fatal.

Washington has had many GPS-related issues in the recent past. For instance, three women from Mexico used a GPS system to navigate their way to an Embassy Suites in Bellevue’s Eastgate area. They were in town for a Costco convention, and when driving back to the Embassy Suites in their Mercedes SUV around midnight, they turned onto Interstate 90 West instead of East, and made a turn off Bellevue Way Southeast. They were then led down the Sweyolocken boat ramp into Mercer Slough. The vehicle sank, but the passengers got away safely and slightly drenched.

There’s still a place for consulting a good old paper printout.

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