GPS: How much do you rely on your GPS system?

A car's Global Positioning System (GPS). (iStock)

By CBC News

The plight of a B.C. couple who went missing in the Nevada mountains in mid-March is raising questions about the reliability of global positioning systems (GPS) in rural areas.

Albert and Rita Chretien were travelling from their home in Penticton, B.C., to a trade show in Las Vegas when their van ran into trouble on a logging road in Elko County.

Rita Chretien was rescued Friday after spending seven weeks alone in the wilderness. She told investigators she hasn't seen Albert since he left with the GPS to try to find a state highway.

Police in Nevada said the Chretiens were likely led astray by their GPS.

Rex Turner, a GPS engineer based in Oklahoma, said there is no denying the benefits of the product when driving in an established city.

But he said the farther you get out of town, the less reliable the systems' maps become.

"Rural routes are worse, turn by turn data really breaks down out in the country," he said.
Turner said a GPS can't be 100 per cent reliable because it relies on information that is quickly changing.

Read more.

We're curious to hear your thoughts on GPS systems: Do you have confidence in the directions they provide? Do you rely on GPS entirely, or bring maps with you on trips? Let us know in the comments below.



(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)