I'm just wondering if there isn't a problem with terminology in this discussion.
A GPS is a receiver that locates a point on the earth's surface. It generally comes with some sort of map so you have an idea where that point is in relation to the general topography, roads, towns, etc. It does not tell you where to go or how to get there. I'm thinking the GPS itself is not what gets people in trouble. All it does is accurately tell you where you are, a logitude and latitude fix.
I call the other thing a Navigator or a GPS Navigator. It uses a GPS receiver and a map to tell you where you are as well as plot out an intended route. These are only as smart as the programming done to produce the route and the mapmaker's knowledge of the roads, an invitation to trouble in my mind.
Maybe I'm splitting hairs but I have used a GPS for many years and it has never "led me astray".
Oh, for certain, you're absolutely correct, Tony. As I hear the term used by the great, great majority of people, GPS is what they call the receiver/mapping software combination. It is just as certain that user errors, sometimes fatal, occur when the mapping base is incorrect right from the start or used outdated information as to the nature of roads and trails. What seems to get lots of users in trouble is selecting "shortest route". That is in fact what killed Al Chretien in 2011. A "shortest route" selection first caused him to drive tens of miles off of paved roads into the Mahogany and Copper Mountains on the Nevada side of the Idaho-Nevada border, then induced him to try to reach Mountain City, NV by driving his minivan up a trail he had zero chance of getting through, and finally induced him to complete the trip to Mountain City on foot. He left his wife in the van, took the GPS unit with him, and started on the +20 mile trek to Mountain City. SAR personnel surmise the battery failed after part of the trip on-foot hike to find help, and thatlacking guidance he veered off to the north and picked up 2,400' of elevation, which brought him into much deeper snow (8 to 10'). His remains were found at the base of a large fir tree, which SAR further surmises was a "tree hole" in March, thus providing some shelter from the winds and ongoing snowfall. Had he remained on the proper track, he'd have reached paved NV 225 outside of Mountain City within the distance he walked. As it was, his remains were found 18 months later at 8,000' on the northeast side of Merritt Mountain, some 6 miles and 2,400' in elevation from safety. The GPS unit was not found with his remains.
Foy