Here in Vancouver, hordes of people have descended for the Olympics. Most out-of-towners are wandering through the streets on foot — but some brave souls have decided to battle the traffic in vehicles. And to help navigate the way to Olympic venues, a trusty GPS directs tourists to Whistler, Richmond and elsewhere. 

Fortunately, a lot of these drivers have a passenger in the car to plug in directions. But a CBC Marketplace poll found — across Canada — that’s often not the case. Almost half the time (47 per cent), drivers said they personally program their navigation devices while the car is in motion — dangerous, because 80 per cent of car accidents happen when drivers take their eyes off the road.

And check out the latest statistics from police. In Ontario, lawmakers made it illegal as of Feb. 1 to use a handheld device (like cellphones and a GPS) while driving. In Toronto alone, in the first week of February, cops handed out 1,499 tickets under the “distracted driving law.”  And the Ontario Provincial Police have issued 236 tickets and 572 warnings so far this month. 

Since the law was proclaimed in October (police didn’t issue tickets until this month), the OPP has issued 3,832 warnings! That’s a lot of people who think that doing something other than concentrating on driving is a-OK, regardless of new laws.

And why are people programming on the go? Because they can. Makers of portable GPS devices say they’re not responsible if people don’t drive safely. When it comes to a GPS built right into a vehicle, some automakers offer GPS systems that lock out drivers from programming while the car is in motion — some don’t. 

“We looked at what’s required to use that system, and we found that certain tasks, like entering a destination, are more difficult and should be done when a vehicle is stopped,” said Tom O’Dell, GM Canada’s manager of technical planning. 

Transport Canada has known for years that programming a GPS while driving may be a hazard. In 2003, it was looking at whether or not to regulate the use of these devices in moving vehicles. But no deal was ever made with the makers of GPS devices built into cars (and the agency has no mandate over the portable navigators). 

Back to those Olympic tourists and their GPS’s … there is one other place the devices fall short. If drivers are looking for the road to gold, only the athletes know how to get there.

Tonight on Marketplace, find out what happens when test drivers are asked to find directions on their GPS. That’s at 8:30 on CBC Television.

– Erica Johnson is a journalist and co-host of CBC News: Marketplace, Canada’s award-winning consumer affairs show. CBC News: Marketplace airs each Friday night at 8:30 p.m. on CBC Television.