Acura Gps

Thousands of local drivers have cars equipped with navigation systems offering turn-by-turn guidance. The latest offer even traffic alerts. But when the Big Fix closes Interstate 5 and J Street turns into a parking lot, will they help?

Short answer: a little.

Fair Oaks resident Oleg Kaganovich swears by his device.

He even set it to give directions to places he already knows.

"My wife makes fun of me for that, but I do," Kaganovich said. "Some of my parents and friends roll their eyes (to) my level of use of GPS."

And when I shut-5 to northbound traffic on Friday he is confident in the promise of her Acura TL integrated system to guide it through the detour.

The problem is the whole system in the Acura and others will find new routes to the airport, restaurant or Chris Webber in Natoma on Capitol Hill, they can not tell you now that cars are backed up for miles on Broadway, this garden on the roads is a nightmare or there is a sock hop on Capitol Mall.

Consumer interest in the Global Positioning System has skyrocketed in recent years. According to a recent study, one in six adults in the United States is a device that can triangulate its position. This number should increase faster than new vehicles come with GPS systems installed.

Meanwhile, the portable models to keep flying the store shelves.

Voice provides high-end models prompt, connect to your mobile phone, listen to music, or can list the points of interest along your route.

Systems offering traffic updates in real time based on data given to them by local agencies.

In Sacramento, this information comes from the state Department of Transportation.

The organization collects highway speeds in real time from hundreds of sensors in the pavement.

The Department sends the information traffic to your Garmin, TomTom or Magellan.

It is also posted on various websites traffic, including www.sacbee.com / traffic.

surface streets could remain a mystery to many devices, however, since the City and County of Sacramento does not feed data to the network of streets.

"The data are presented to the user is only as good as the data presented to us," said Nedeljkovic Nebo, the manager of online services for General Motors' OnStar system.

OnStar began first as an emergency service for drivers of GM, but has transformed into a navigation system in itself.

Nedeljkovic said OnStar users have to obtain directions, either by voice or by car from the mainframe service.

Rochelle Jenkins, a spokesman for Caltrans, said the agency worked hard to get the timing of any closures Big Fix manufacturers of navigation systems.

"The top three are focused and ready to go," Jenkins said. "They will all be turning their users."

Garmin spokesman Jake Jacobson said updated goods traffic passing through an FM transmitter is ready for the closing of Friday.

"It tells you when a traffic jam that happens on a road, the best way to avoid it, or if the best way is to stick to the road even if you have a delay of two minutes," said Jacobson.

TomTom offers the latest, the GO 930 allows users to gain experience of others because they report updates the map or transmit actual speed of movement, either by a cellular connection or by plugging into a computer .


By Ed Fletcher - efletcher@sacbee.com