Like many motorists, you probably have the reflex to use your expensive smartphone as a GPS once on board, by launching the essential Waze or the no less popular Google Maps. And if our favorite mapping applications often prove to be lifesaving during our journeys, they can also sometimes prove… fatal. This was the case at the end of last year, with a bad indication from Google Maps which led to the death of a motorist. We thought the tragedy was exceptional, but the trust placed in Google Maps recently caused three deaths in India.
Yet another drama caused (in particular) by blind trust in Google Maps
Indeed, it is a local newspaper (The Economic Times) who is responsible for relaying the drama. Three men, who were going to a wedding, were driving at night, guided by Google Maps. The accident scene was discovered by area residents the following day, with the car plunging over the edge of a bridge, with Google Maps guiding the driver and passengers to a structure recently destroyed by flooding which affected the country.
“ They were checking the route using Google Maps and fell off the bridge incomplete “, explained a family member. “ The road should have been blocked, but it wasn’t. The maps should not have indicated that the bridge was passable “.
As always, the tech giant cannot be held entirely responsible in this story, but it is obvious that a simple update of the application would perhaps have made it possible to avoid this new tragedy. Already last year, two doctors lost their lives in the state of Kerala when their car fell into the Periyar River, again after following directions given by Google Maps.
On the Google side, we presented “his most sincere condolences to the families”and the Mountain View firm also announced that it would work closely with local authorities.
As a rule, these accidents occur at night, when the Google Maps user does not have a perfect perception of what is happening around him, and must therefore rely almost entirely on the application to give it correct navigation instructions. Cases of accidents linked to Google Maps have not been rare for several years now, with tragedies occurring in cars of course, but also on foot. As always, be wary.
