Three Great Uses for Your Car's GPS Device

If I ask you what your GPS is for, your answer might be "Simple - directions."  Well, that's certainly a great way to use a satellite-powered navigation system located right there in or on your car's dashboard, but that's not telling the whole story.  If you've been perusing articles like eHow's How to Use a GPS Car Navigation System, you're on the right track.  But if you want to explore their uses a little bit more, this is the article for you.

1.  Avoiding traffic.

Not all GPS systems have live traffic information, but you can certainly acquire them from companies like Garmin and TomTom.  You usually will have to pay a fee for the avoiding traffic features - usually a monthly subscription fee - but for many people (and especially commuters), this can be one of the best uses for a GPS possible.  Having live traffic updates connected to your car's navigation system means that you essentially have your own "eye in the sky" that will let you know if you need to take the side roads to work.  Anyone who can't stand sitting in traffic will want to have live traffic information feeding through their car's GPS.

2.  Finding detours.

As mentioned above, you can avoid traffic by having live traffic updates.  You'll find that GPS navigators can help you find detours in case you run into construction, heavy traffic, or other obstacles that are getting in your way.  This is especially great for places you've never been to or are just visiting, as finding detours would usually require pulling over and asking for directions.

3.  Customizing your route for optimal speed - and less tolls.

A GPS device can help you decide on which roads to take, helping you avoid traffic, find detours, and also avoid toll ways.  If you simply want to get to point A to point B quickly but without driving excessively fast, you'll want a GPS device that can help you optimize your route.

If you're interested in learning more about the features of GPS devices, check out Consumer Reports' guide to GPS features.  Remember that you'll want to check out the individual features and upgrades available with each GPS device you're considering.  If you want live traffic updates, for example, make sure you find a GPS device that can supply them.  If not, don’t pay for something you don’t want!