Map it out A shortcut to help you reach your final destination

A shortcut to help you reach your final destination

FREEP, CATHY PAYNE, DETROIT MI - - Which way? Thanks to navigation systems and maps, women don't have to ask. Here is a rundown of units and maps to help you get moving.

Navigation systems
Women are turning to the latest technology for safety and convenience.

"Women drivers are busier in a car than most people are, especially if they are taking children somewhere," says Nick Cappa, manager of advanced technology communications for DaimlerChrysler. Chrysler is set to roll out My Gig, a touch-screen unit for navigation and entertainment, in the 2007 Sebring.

Women are showing interest in the technology. "A lot of guys, when you tell them a car has OnStar, they say, 'I don't need that,' " says Jim Nelson, a salesman at Gordon Chevrolet in Garden City. "Women tend to listen." General Motors' OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation lets a driver talk to an adviser and sends directions through the stereo.

Drivers find the systems easy to use. Ford's navigation system is user-friendly, says Mike Barren, a Romeo Ford salesman. "We haven't had anyone come back baffled about how to use this."

In-vehicle navigation systems are expected to bring $20 million in global annual sales by 2011, according to the Telematics Research Group, which has offices in Minnesota and Asia. Sales of portable devices are expected to be $100 million.

Online mapping services
"Women are using more and more of the Internet," says Nancy Cain, public relations manager for the American Automobile Association of Michigan.

• AAA has http://www.aaamaps.com/ for everyone and AAA Internet TripTik for members. Both sites offer maps that show AAA-approved lodgings, restaurants and attractions. The sites let you add and remove notes on maps.

• GOOGLE MAPS (http://www.google.com/) offers detailed satellite images with street names so that you can see landmarks.

• MAPQUEST (http://www.mapquest.com/) has a route builder that allows users to include up to 10 locations.

• YAHOO! MAPS BETA (http://maps.yahoo.com/), which has hybrids of maps and satellite images, provides information about traffic incidents and speed.

Maureen Tulip, a driving instructor at Sears Authorized Driving School in Flint, says she compares maps. Because some maps may have inaccuracies, verify information with someone at your final destination, she adds.