Every winter, thousands of people get lost in the snow, or have an accident of some sort and end up in a ditch with snow everywhere. And, depending where you are, it can sometimes be hours before search and rescue crews can find your vehicle and lend aid. However, something that many people forget about is using GPS to speed things up a bit.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: if you’re already lost, how is a GPS going to help you? If your location had an address, then you wouldn’t be sitting in your car, waiting for rescue teams (or a tow truck or a friend) to find you and help get you back to safety. But, what most people don’t consider is that GPS relies on not only satellite signals, but latitude and longitude coordinates, which can help rescuers find you immediately.

While I dearly hope that no one needs any of this, here are some ways that you can find your latitude and longitude in an emergency: read more

Devices like this TomTom Trucker might have prevented the entire incident.

There are many different kinds of GPS devices and here at GPS Tracklog, I try and do my best to cover as many of them as possible. However, one thing that I don’t really write about (due to it’s immense specalization) is commercial GPS devices designed for truck drivers. These devices contain specific perimeters designed to help professional drivers choose the safest routes, and this blog is really more dedicated to hobbyists and GPS enthusiasts. However, today I saw an article that simply proves that drivers need to be more aware of what kind of GPS device they are buying.

According to a news site in Schenectady, NY, a truck driver recently hit a low hanging bridge in Glenville, NY, damaging his truck and halting traffic on the road. And, more interestingly, this was the second accident of its type that day alone. The bridge in question, the Maple Avenue Bridge in Glenville, NY, has been hit an estimated 20 times since 2013 when the road was widened. While you can read the full story here, basically it looks like yet another case of someone following a GPS device blindly, but with a little twist. read more

There are absolutely no shortage of stories of people taking a wrong turn or ending up in the wrong place, and as it turns out, being a pilot doesn’t make you immune to this error. Recently, an AirAsia flight from Sydney to Malaysia ended up in Melbourne for a spell due to a clerical error.

The flight, which left the Sydney Airport just before noon, began to experience some technical problems, and when the autopilot was switched on, it immediately became apparent something was very wrong as the entire plan began to turn in the wrong direction. read more