Photo: Google forums
The number of wrong-way drivers is growing at a worrying rate, as it happens way too often to see people going at full speed straight towards oncoming cars on public roads.
While for most of us it’s hard to imagine how on earth you could end up driving the wrong way on a highway, most of the people who are making this claim they got confused after following the instructions of their navigation apps.
Anyone who used the likes of Google Maps and Waze knows this isn’t possible, as such errors almost never occur. Truth be told, navigation apps might have a hard time figuring out which way you’re going on a highway – and they could actually think you’re driving the right way – but on the other hand, they never provide guidance to end up the wrong way anyway.
A 30-year-old tourist who ended up facing the traffic on the A303 dual-carriageway in East Devon also blamed the navigation app, claiming this is precisely what the software told them to do.
The local media reveals that the Audi driver was actually traveling with his parents and wanted to go to the beach when they somehow ended up driving towards oncoming cars. One of the drivers who noticed the vehicle slowed down, therefore giving him enough time to stop on the shoulder of the road.
The tourist got precisely what he deserved: his driver’s license was suspended for one year, and he must do 50 hours of unpaid community work.
The good news is nobody was hurt in the incident, but the bad news is that drivers not only take everything the navigation software says for granted but also fail to make the right call when something doesn’t look right. In this case, however, blaming the navigation app doesn’t make any sense anyway, not even if the software actually malfunctioned, as it’s impossible to end on the wrong way on a high-speed road if you also keep an eye on road signs.
Anyone who used the likes of Google Maps and Waze knows this isn’t possible, as such errors almost never occur. Truth be told, navigation apps might have a hard time figuring out which way you’re going on a highway – and they could actually think you’re driving the right way – but on the other hand, they never provide guidance to end up the wrong way anyway.
A 30-year-old tourist who ended up facing the traffic on the A303 dual-carriageway in East Devon also blamed the navigation app, claiming this is precisely what the software told them to do.
The local media reveals that the Audi driver was actually traveling with his parents and wanted to go to the beach when they somehow ended up driving towards oncoming cars. One of the drivers who noticed the vehicle slowed down, therefore giving him enough time to stop on the shoulder of the road.
The tourist got precisely what he deserved: his driver’s license was suspended for one year, and he must do 50 hours of unpaid community work.
The good news is nobody was hurt in the incident, but the bad news is that drivers not only take everything the navigation software says for granted but also fail to make the right call when something doesn’t look right. In this case, however, blaming the navigation app doesn’t make any sense anyway, not even if the software actually malfunctioned, as it’s impossible to end on the wrong way on a high-speed road if you also keep an eye on road signs.
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