Already own a fuel-efficient car — that you vigilantly hypermile to save gas and money? Then I hope you know where you’re going — because driving lost in a greener car is still a big waste of fuel. In fact, you can lose about $3000 over your lifetime by refusing to ask for directions!
That’s according to insurers Sheilas’ Wheels, which conducted a study to find that the average male driver drives 276 miles lost every year. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to stop and ask for directions — saving themselves time, gas, and money — and preventing unnecessary air pollution!
When I first read about this study, I had this feeling some men would find perfectly “logical” reasons why they should not ask for directions despite clear financial and environmental reasons for doing so. I wasn’t disappointed. GOOD’s web editor Andrew Price came through for me by claiming that even when he doesn’t know where he’s going, he’s not actually lost. How’s that? “It’s reductive to think there are just two states: ‘lost’ and ‘not lost,’” is the rationale Andrew comes up with:
When I have opted to feel out directions rather than ask or try to get somewhere on memory and intuition, it’s usually because I had a good idea of where I was going without knowing exactly whether the next turn is supposed to be before or after the underpass.
If you run across Andrew on his 276-mile, lost-but-not-lost “memory and intuition” detour this year, please point him in the right direction.
The easiest way to not get lost while driving is by not getting in the car! Use Google Maps’ bicycle and public transit to get where you need to go, car-free.
Photo by planetc1
When I first moved to LA, I’d look for directions for specific destinations, usually originating from my home. Because I went about things this way I usually didn’t get too lost, but I also didn’t realize I was so close to other destinations I might want to go to and instead made many individual trips. That’s kinda bad too. It wasn’t until I got lost (I’m pretty good at it) that I started understanding how to get from one place to another more easily. I distinctly remember one early Saturday morning when my trip to Burbank for errands turned into a spontaneous, unplanned Hollywood trip where I encountered dead streets. That was kinda surreal and fun.
Now that I’m car-free I certainly manage to still get lost on foot and bike (and public transportation…) Then again, this also means I’ve found many little awesome places all over the city (and have taken some bike ride and walks that ended up being more miles than I was anticipating). I’ve also managed to find many routes that let me avoid most car traffic, enjoy little pockets of nature and quiet as well as hidden art. I think the slower pace of walking, biking or even just being able to stare out the windows of a bus helps me learn about an area more than just driving through. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination, even if you might be “lost” along the way. Now I can do it guilt free without my car.
Comment by M — September 1, 2010 @ 11:28 am
I also like getting lost around the city. That’s how I found so many interesting shortcuts. But it makes sense to use navigation if you need to be somewhere quickly and efficiently.
Comment by Brandon Lee — September 18, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
If a car trip is destination oriented, driver should have directions before even starting up the car, which minimizes idling too. With smartphones, computers, and navigation devices getting more popular, I would expect 276 miles/year statistics to decrease every year.
On a side note, Nick Jr has done a good job reminding kids to check the map in their Dora series, which happens in almost all their episodes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XrfuEUOqWo
Comment by Jason Li — September 24, 2010 @ 1:52 pm