Thirty years ago, the first car with a built-in GPS navigation system rolled off a Mazda assembly line, and in short order drivers began to lose track of their surroundings and abandon common sense as they obediently followed the commands of robotic voices with foreign accents down dicey-looking roads.

Sure, I exaggerate. The GPS has made it quicker and easier for highway travelers to get from Point A to Point B, and has eliminated the onerous task of folding and refolding highway maps. But the convenience has come at a cost, particularly for drivers whose brains have been conditioned to slip into neutral when highway navigation is relegated to an electronic device.

Reach Rick Steelhammer at

rsteelhammer@wvgazettemail.com,

304-348-5169 or follow

@rsteelhammer on Twitter.

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