When In Doubt, Blame It On Technology
from the it-wasn't-my-fault dept
There seems to be a growing trend in the UK of people suspending their common sense when they get in a car and turn on GPS navigation units. There are people driving off cliffs and through flooded roads and taking detours that span half of England, apparently at the behest of their navigation units. Things got so bad in one place that authorities even had to put up "ignore your sat nav" signs. Now, a woman's car got hit by a train, and for some reason, she's blaming a GPS navigation unit. She says the device led her "right into the path of a speeding train": she was driving to her boyfriend's house, using the GPS for directions, when she came up to a metal gate with a red circle on it, marked with a "little sign saying, if the light is green, open the gates and drive through." She doesn't say whether or not the light was green, just that she opened the gate, drove through, got out to shut the gate and heard a train coming, then she realized she was standing on a train crossing. She got out of the way, but the train hit her car and carried it for half a mile. She says she "can't completely blame" the GPS unit -- but it's not clear why the GPS is to blame at all. First, you'd imagine that one would be cognizant enough of their surroundings to realize when they were at a railroad crossing. Second, if it wasn't obvious enough, isn't the problem really inadequate signage or a lack of other safety equipment? Of course, it's easier to put the blame on the GPS, since it can only answer back by saying, "Left turn in 400 yards," rather than own up to your own fault.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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"The SatNav device drives my car... Not me"
SatNav is really just an automated map, and like any good map, should be replaced whenever a new update comes out...
But the driver still is ultimately in control of the car. (duh) O
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Re: "The SatNav device drives my car... Not me"
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Re: "The SatNav device drives my car... Not me"
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the court finds these people, ignorant as charged. enough said.
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Re: Metres and Yards.
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Re: Metres??? In the UK???
Please don't make the mistake of thinking of us as Europeans......
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oh and i laughed @ the people driving off cliffs
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Re: Re: Metres and Yards
Anyone who cannot identify a railway line as such sould not be driving a car. The marking of a red spot on the gate is used as a warning, and the warning light, if present, should have been more than sufficent warning. If it was an unsingalled crossing, there was almost certainly a telephone by the gate, which she could have used to check for approaching trains (I am fairly sure that in the absence of a manually-controlled crossing, there has to be a telephone to contact the responsible signal box. This should be present on all public railway crossings, from AHB (automaic half barrier) crossings to ungated rural lanes. Only private occupation crossings, which are provided for landowners to have access accross the line, would not need one, but sicne at occupation crossings the gate opens away from the line and is on a private driveway or farm track, she should not have been on it.
Well, if you're stupid enough to ask for directions between two places not linked by land, if there is no ferry, what can it do?
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Maps
Do they blame the computer when their data gets deleted? Yes.
This is just a case of people blaming elec-trickery and assuming that a GPS system is somehow different to a map.
It is not infallible because it is a machine.
If the GPS tells you to turn left you still check that it is safe to turn, that the road actually exists, that a fallen tree has not blocked your path etc....
Stupid humans.
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Re: Bobshaker
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Re: Re: Bobshaker
I love that image!
Stupidity has always been a capital crime, enforced by nature without appeals.
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Technology Dependence Still Requires Common Sense
Technology is an aid. Do not make it a crutch.
(But my Treo didn't tell me it was time...)
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Survival of the Unfit?
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wish we had it then
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Re: wish we had it then
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recently in the uk
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...... logically
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Re:
Paula Ceely, was driving her Renault Clio from Redditch, Worcestershire, to see her boyfriend at his parents' home in Carmarthenshire for the first time.
She wasn't going to her boyfriend's home, she was going to meet his parents.
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Printed Data Can Be Wrong Too
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Urban Myth
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Re: Urban Myth
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Loss of intelligence, technology induced?
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Re: Loss of intelligence, technology induced?
Nav software been routing trucks over it since it is a "highway", and there are NOT many good east-west roads in area.
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
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Some of these stories...
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Lets not gang up on sat navs
I say this as the numbers of arguments that have been avoided in the car by the sat nav doing the navigation is quite considerable compared to when the wife tried to navigate us up a river......
(asbestos suit now on)
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There's a photo of the crossing available
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Re: There's a photo of the crossing available
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Too many signs
I suppose I'm spoiled by our automatic gates for train crossing here in USA, but that doesn't seem like a real good system.
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Re: Too many signs
(I blame my keyboard for pressing ENTER too early) ;)
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GPS signs
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Not a typical crossing
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What a world...
Brandon Watts
Criteo Evangelist
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Idiots
Also, if you have to cross rail tracks, never stop *ON* the tracks for any reason. If you cant confirm that the way on the other side isnt completely clear for you to drive fully across and clear of the tracks, dont start onto them in the first place.
In this case, if there were gates on both sides, a good idea would have been to open *both* gates, drive the car fully across (keeping an eye and ear aware of any trains), then go back and close both. Having mechanical gates that average members of the community are supposed to get out and open to cross rail tracks seems a bit of an odd situation to begin with - if it was a public crossing, it should have had automatic gates, of it wasnt, they should have been locked to prevent them being opened except by authorized persons.
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This is nothing new.
'nuf said.
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At what point will this tech be rreliable?
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The SatNav worked to spec...
She opened the gates one at a time, driving the car onto the track after opening the first gate. At no point did the SatNav instruct her to do that.
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Satellite Navigation
Perhaps if people still practised such elementary skills or the stopping to ask for directions, they'd also be better at driving.
I realise we always want to find shorter/quicker routes to places, but it's easier doing that on a map! There are signs on roads too. *sighs*
My advice to this woman is get a bike - however there have been a number of accidents like this (vehicles at level crossings). Most of these types of level crossing (where the barrier doesn't lock down when a train is coming) are in the type of rural location this happened in.
She had a narrow (and incredibly lucky) escape.
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Re: Satellite Navigation
I assume you meant because I'm not an idiot I am able to read a map...
Let's face it there is unfortunately no cure for idiocy. I suspect this may have been the first time she'd come across such a crossing type and was incapable of thinking for herself - because you're not allowed to now as a child (too many chances of someone getting sued).
I think I'll stick to maps and using my eyes thanks.
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Satellite Navigation!!???
LH
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Few points
These crossings are common becuase of the number of minor roads and footpaths which are legally required to be kept open, and the number of minor railway lines which have survived into the present day (too few, but there are some), for which it would be uneconomical to provide automatic crossings.
I think we have now firmly established that he crossing was well signed, and that the UK uses yards, not metres. There is no more need to post these points.
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Insurance for idiocy?
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Missed a Darwin Award by this much.....
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