Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/The Olive Press
Google Maps is often a Godsend, as it helps make every second behind the wheel safer, turning every trip into a more predictable experience thanks to turn-by-turn navigation.
However, the tiniest error in the matrix could turn the application into a double-edged sword, and a driver in Mallorca, Spain, believed he could use this fact to escape punishment after a daredevil stunt.
The driver attempted to go down some narrow stairs in the Plaza Mayor region, eventually getting his van stuck. Only pedestrians are allowed to use the steps, which are some 70 meters long and narrow enough to make it impossible for a car to make a turn.
The driver still believed there was enough room to use the steps as a shortcut. Everybody knows what happened next: the vehicle got stuck, the driver and the passenger barely squeezed outside, and the police had to call the firefighters to help pull the van back to the road.
It's not the first time Google Maps offers broken directions, and drivers in Edinburgh know it. The application directed three drivers down the new steps in the city center, with the vehicles eventually getting stuck and requiring the intervention of emergency teams to return them to the road.
However, it's hard to blame Google Maps for your failed stunt when you're three times over the alcohol limit. That's right, the driver was tested by the police, with the result revealing that the attempt was probably fueled by a boost of confidence generated by alcohol.
The man says he was only following the directions provided by Google Maps, blindly trusting everything the app said because he wasn't familiar with the region. The navigation app allegedly told the driver to make a turn on the street that ended in a stairway. The street was so narrow that he couldn't turn, so he attempted to go down the stairs, hoping he would reach the other end of the road.
He didn't, and after the failed stunt, the man lost both his license driver and his vehicle.
Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and all the other navigation apps currently available worldwide can often generate broken directions due to incorrect map data. However, the common sense should dictate when you use such an application. If a suggested route looks too dangerous, you shouldn't follow the directions, sticking with the paved road or whatever safer alternative you can use.
These applications can always be up-to-date with what happens on the road, so real-time changes, such as roads blocked due to construction or accidents, could force them to look for other routes, sometimes including shortcuts where your vehicle doesn't fit. Always pay attention to the road ahead and traffic signs!
The driver attempted to go down some narrow stairs in the Plaza Mayor region, eventually getting his van stuck. Only pedestrians are allowed to use the steps, which are some 70 meters long and narrow enough to make it impossible for a car to make a turn.
The driver still believed there was enough room to use the steps as a shortcut. Everybody knows what happened next: the vehicle got stuck, the driver and the passenger barely squeezed outside, and the police had to call the firefighters to help pull the van back to the road.
It's not the first time Google Maps offers broken directions, and drivers in Edinburgh know it. The application directed three drivers down the new steps in the city center, with the vehicles eventually getting stuck and requiring the intervention of emergency teams to return them to the road.
However, it's hard to blame Google Maps for your failed stunt when you're three times over the alcohol limit. That's right, the driver was tested by the police, with the result revealing that the attempt was probably fueled by a boost of confidence generated by alcohol.
The man says he was only following the directions provided by Google Maps, blindly trusting everything the app said because he wasn't familiar with the region. The navigation app allegedly told the driver to make a turn on the street that ended in a stairway. The street was so narrow that he couldn't turn, so he attempted to go down the stairs, hoping he would reach the other end of the road.
He didn't, and after the failed stunt, the man lost both his license driver and his vehicle.
Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and all the other navigation apps currently available worldwide can often generate broken directions due to incorrect map data. However, the common sense should dictate when you use such an application. If a suggested route looks too dangerous, you shouldn't follow the directions, sticking with the paved road or whatever safer alternative you can use.
These applications can always be up-to-date with what happens on the road, so real-time changes, such as roads blocked due to construction or accidents, could force them to look for other routes, sometimes including shortcuts where your vehicle doesn't fit. Always pay attention to the road ahead and traffic signs!
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