Confused GPS Takes Driver Into Collision

GPS systems really are a wonderful thing. They tell you where to go. With just a press of a button, you don’t have to deal with the considerable stress of “knowing where you’re going.” It’s a beautiful thing.

Then again, for all their convenience, GPS systems are also sort of scary. What if some mysterious person can see where you are at all times? What if your GPS system gives you the wrong directions? Such was the nightmare apparently suffered by a New York motorist when his GPS system turned him onto a pair of active train tracks. His car was stuck and he had to ditch the vehicle before it was crushed by an oncoming train. Fortunately no one was injured, but it’s a terrifying account nonetheless.

It’s not the first time this has happened, which goes to show that these GPS units aren’t infallible. Or there’s some kind of horrifying alien-GPS conspiracy going on. One of the two.

Train Hits Car, and a G.P.S. Is Blamed (New York Times)

Comments

Surely, even if the GPS was urging you to take a turn you'd say to yourself" but this is a railway" and keep driving?

I have NO sympathy for anybody dumb enough to blindly follow directions like that. The tool is only as smart as it's user, and on this occassion the user probably needs their license taken away.

It should state:
"Train hits car and a dumb driver is to blame"!

If GPS tells you to drive off the cliff would you do it?

Let us take some responsibility for our actions.

Reminds me of an episode of The Office.

To be fair, it was at night, and the GPS just said to make a turn. How obvious is it until you've made the turn whether it's actually a road?

common sense, anyone?

I watched a minivan slowly run two red lights on the highway the other day. I thought it was very odd. Although the vehicle was driving slowly, it was being operated rather erratically and I suspected a drunk driver. I pulled alongside, glanced at the minivan, and there were two old men leaning in toward the middle of the dash with their eyeglasses lifted, trying to read the GPS display as they were moving.

There should be some sort of feature that alerts a person who navigates on the road via GPS that they are approaching a red light for the safety of the people sharing the road with them. If you've got your eyes glued to the GPS screen, you're not watching the traffic ... or for red lights!

How can it be legal to sit and stare at a GPS screen while you are driving, but talking on a cellphone is not? GPS gawking seems to be more distracting to me than a cellphone conversation.

Though I agree with the comments on the intelligence of the driver some lawyer may very well turn this into a large award to the driver.

I just love lawyers. Not!

They should make the GPS not accepting inputs while the vehicle is in motion.