Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/PhilStar
Blindly trusting navigation apps is perhaps the worst thing a driver can do when running this software, but a recent case from the Philippines brings Waze under fire for no reason.
Not taking sat-nav solutions for granted is highly recommended because the smallest map error can provide broken directions to drivers. As such, users can end up in the wrong locations or be guided to roads that are closed or not suitable for cars.
This is how drivers occasionally end up in the middle of nowhere when their navigation apps try to look for faster routes.
A new incident that happened in Manila, the Philippines puts Waze under fire for what some believe are broken navigation instructions. A driver ended up getting his car on the railroad tracks after following the routing provided by Waze.
The driver used Waze specifically because he didn’t know the area. As he was heading from Adriatico to Makati, the man was recommended to use Tomas Claudio street in Pandacan. He somehow ended up on the railroad tracks, telling the police he was misled by Waze.
Fortunately, nobody was injured, as the Philippine National Railway suspended all trains until the vehicle was removed from the tracks.
Waze is unlikely to be the culprit here.
While navigation apps could sometimes provide wrong routes to the destination, they never direct users to railroad tracks. If anything, they might occasionally send drivers on closed roads or streets that are no longer open to traffic, but suggesting a turn on a railroad train track is pretty much impossible.
Most likely, the driver took the wrong turn, and instead of using the nearby street, he ended up entering the road tracks. In other words, he miscalculated the route, believing that the tracks were the road he was supposed to use.
The incident happened at 4 AM, so darkness probably made it harder for the driver to clearly determine where the next turn was required. The local media is reporting the man was also a foreigner, so most likely, it was the first time he was driving in the region. As a result, mistaking the road tracks for the road is very possible, especially at night.
Fortunately, both the driver and the other passenger in the car escaped unhurt. It’s not hard, however, to imagine the whole incident could have ended a lot worse. The car got stuck between the tracks at a time when spotting it was pretty difficult, especially if trains were traveling at high speed.
At the end of the day, the case serves as another example that regardless of what the navigation app says and the recommended route, checking out the traffic signs is a must for every driver.
This is how drivers occasionally end up in the middle of nowhere when their navigation apps try to look for faster routes.
A new incident that happened in Manila, the Philippines puts Waze under fire for what some believe are broken navigation instructions. A driver ended up getting his car on the railroad tracks after following the routing provided by Waze.
The driver used Waze specifically because he didn’t know the area. As he was heading from Adriatico to Makati, the man was recommended to use Tomas Claudio street in Pandacan. He somehow ended up on the railroad tracks, telling the police he was misled by Waze.
Fortunately, nobody was injured, as the Philippine National Railway suspended all trains until the vehicle was removed from the tracks.
Waze is unlikely to be the culprit here.
While navigation apps could sometimes provide wrong routes to the destination, they never direct users to railroad tracks. If anything, they might occasionally send drivers on closed roads or streets that are no longer open to traffic, but suggesting a turn on a railroad train track is pretty much impossible.
Most likely, the driver took the wrong turn, and instead of using the nearby street, he ended up entering the road tracks. In other words, he miscalculated the route, believing that the tracks were the road he was supposed to use.
The incident happened at 4 AM, so darkness probably made it harder for the driver to clearly determine where the next turn was required. The local media is reporting the man was also a foreigner, so most likely, it was the first time he was driving in the region. As a result, mistaking the road tracks for the road is very possible, especially at night.
Fortunately, both the driver and the other passenger in the car escaped unhurt. It’s not hard, however, to imagine the whole incident could have ended a lot worse. The car got stuck between the tracks at a time when spotting it was pretty difficult, especially if trains were traveling at high speed.
At the end of the day, the case serves as another example that regardless of what the navigation app says and the recommended route, checking out the traffic signs is a must for every driver.
Google News