Driving

It happens in Minnesota. It happens in the maze-like city blocks of Manhattan. It happens in the deserts of Southern California, and the frozen wastes of Russia, and the mountains of Colorado. It happens everywhere, because we use it everywhere… perhaps, more than we should. I’m talking about instances where your GPS leads you astray. Sometimes by taking you up a road that no longer exists, sometimes by thinking you’re on the freeway instead of the city streets, and sometimes by sending you into the middle of nowhere. At best, these incidents are inconvenient. At their worst, they cause “death by GPS.”  There is a common misconception that these issues are completely due to user error. Occasionally, people point to the responsibility of the map-maker—these days, that’s usually Google. But rarely is it acknowledged that these incidents are a part of a wider group of human error that, while natural, should be monitored and corrected!  Here, we delve into human-GPS error not in the context of specific stories, but as a wider phenomenon. We’ll explore the various kinds of human-GPS errors that are most common, and explain why they occur. Finally, we’ll make an argument for why and how to…

For many drivers—particularly in the US—bicyclists are seen as a nuisance. They take up valuable space on the road, slow down traffic, and seem out of place in our automobile-focused landscape. Some even want to remove bicyclists from roadways altogether, and relegate them to the realm of athletics and children’s playgrounds. But this is short-sighted. Disdain for bicyclists comes from a few select places—none of which have a deep connection to the reality of the situation. The incredibly minor inconvenience of making space for a bicyclist, and the odd mentality that they’re somehow being “uppity” are both petty and stupid reasons to dislike bicyclists. And while jokes about bicyclists do make for good comedy, the fact is that we, as drivers, need to start making room for them. There are several good reasons to do so, too. Some are based mostly in ethics, while others appeal to a degree of self-interested practicality. A few drift into both.  We hope to convince you to rethink your disdain for bicyclists. Below, we’ve compiled a few good reasons to be nice to bicyclists… and some actionable ways to do exactly that. To start with, let’s help you with a common misconception. More Bicyclists…