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Tully Mars · 11-21-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinelust

Yeah it's funny when it's on TV, I guess. In real life I can't decide if it sad, scary or both.

Quote:

On Thursday night, near the town of Glubczyce in Poland, a man drove his minivan into a lake.

This was not deliberate. Nor was it a brazen stunt. The man was simply trying to get from Point A to Point B. But instead of relying upon his eyes, the man placed absolute faith in the disembodied voice emanating from his dashboard navigation system.

"The man took a road that was closed a year ago when the area was flooded to make an artificial lake serving as a water reservoir," a very thorough police spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.

"He ignored three road signs warning of a dead end. His GPS told him to drive straight ahead and he did."

The man was travelling with two passengers. One can only imagine the conversation that unfolded just before the minivan plunged into the water.

Passenger 1: "Are we going the right way?"

Driver: "Yes, the GPS says keep going straight. Don't worry."

Passenger 2: "Okay. But why are we passing signs that say Danger! and Road Closed and Do Not Enter? Shouldn't we stop and ask for directions?"

Driver: "Directions? Don't be ridiculous! We have GPS!"

Passenger 1: "Yeah, but isn't that–"

Everyone: "OH MY GOD, THAT'S AN ARTIFICIAL LAKE!"

When rescuers arrived, the three were clinging to the roof of the minivan, which was nearly submerged. No word if the GPS was still gurgling directions: "Climb Out Window Now. Swim To Safety In Two Seconds. Trudge Left Onto Dry Land In Three Metres. You Have Not Arrived."

Sadly, this is not the first time a motorist has been led astray by satellite technology.

There have been stories about drivers being directed into forests and canyons and other places where cars are generally not recommended to go. There have been stories about transport trucks getting stuck under bridges or at the bottom of dirt hills.

Thanks to faulty GPS guidance, drivers have ended up at the wrong restaurant, the wrong courthouse, the wrong museum, the wrong just about anything.

Most of these mishaps are irritating. But recent incidents are starting to sound downright dangerous.

Last month in New York, a driver dutifully followed the instructions of his GPS. When told to turn right, he did. Minutes later, he scrambled to safety just before an oncoming commuter train slammed into his car. (The exact same thing happened to a different driver at the exact same location in January.)

Then there was the woman in England who drove her Mercedes into a river. The guy in New Mexico who nearly drove off a cliff.

Or the man in Texas who was nearly killed when sent the wrong way onto a busy one-way street.

He has since given his GPS unit a name – "Christine," for the psychopathic 1958 Plymouth in a Stephen King book. He told the Wall Street Journal: "She is trying to kill me."

Earlier this year, Britain's Mirror reported that 300,000 motorists have crashed or nearly crashed as a result of GPS. And 1.5 million drivers have "suddenly veered dangerously or illegally in busy traffic while following its directions."

A psychology professor told the paper: "When you see pictures of a lorry being lifted out of a ditch with a crane, it's difficult to understand why drivers follow a (GPS) even when it's clearly wrong.

"But some people are easily persuadable and will follow instructions, whether it's their wife or a computer telling them where to go."

Well, that settles it. I was going to buy a GPS module. But for now, I'll listen to the voice inside my head.

TheStar.com | Columnist | Scary when GPS voice has it wrong