Sunday, March 18, 2012

GPS blamed for drowning – do navigators make us oblivious to signs?

GPS drowning

When I first saw this story I thought, GPS gets blamed again, when the real culprit is inattention to signs. But I have to ask, does GPS lull us into not looking at road signs? The incident in question occurred when a UK woman drove her husband and their pet across a ford, which was clearly marked as hazardous during flooding. The crossing has since been closed off.

Ford depth level

There’s no substitute for common sense and personal responsibility, but I suspect that most of us pay less attention to signage when being guided by GPS. How about you?

GPS ford warning

 

Headley Ford closed

Via Pocket GPS World; images via Mirror News and Newbury Today.

About Rich Owings

Rich is the owner, editor and chief bottle-washer for GPS Tracklog. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus.

Comments

  1. The problem I have is that the GPS keeps being blamed, when the fault is actually maps. Good maps are important and countries should be working to improve them. If the GPS had good data it could have avoided the route completely.

  2. The Weather Channel used to warm people about driving into flooded roads. I don’t blame the gps or poor maps. I blame the idiot driver who ignored standard safety instructions (ie: don’t drive onto a flooded road).

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