Skip to main content

Which way now?

Drivers using GPS navigation systems are being urged not to trust their devices too closely by police forces. In the Australian state of Victoria, police are telling drivers not to throw away their maps after a series of incidents in which motorists in ordinary road cars have become stranded after following GPS directions and taking routes only accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles.
March 1, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Drivers using GPS navigation systems are being urged not to trust their devices too closely by police forces. In the Australian state of Victoria, police are telling drivers not to throw away their maps after a series of incidents in which motorists in ordinary road cars have become stranded after following GPS directions and taking routes only accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles. Similarly in the US state of Vermont, highway authorities are telling GPS users to use common sense as a number of drivers have had to call for help after getting stuck when using snowmobile trails.

Some drivers could benefit from brushing up on their geography skills, with a Syrian lorry driver having found his way to the Gibraltar Point nature reserve in the UK, 2,500km from Gibraltar on the southern tip of Spain where he was supposed to deliver a load of cars. The new owners of the cars had to wait a little longer. Meanwhile a Polish driver found that his vehicle was not amphibious, following GPS instructions that resulted in him driving into a reservoir. Luckily, the man and his passenger were rescued.

Related Content

  • HxGN Live 2014 attracts record event numbers
    August 28, 2014
    Attracting an HxGN Live event record-breaking 3,500 attendees, HxGN Live 2014 held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, US, June 2-5 showcased exciting new and in-demand design, measurement and visualisation technologies for industries including road construction and mining. Themed Great Stories Start Here, this year’s event also included a variety of exclusive presentations by industry experts, hands-on training, inspiring keynotes and international networking opportunities. Guy Woodford reports In
  • Hamm’s Dr Stefan Klumpp explains future of autonomous compaction
    December 20, 2016
    Autonomous vehicles that can move around without human intervention are not yet a part of everyday life, but they are almost within reach.
  • Tears of a clown
    February 23, 2012
    A Canadian man now realises that wearing a clown suit and driving in a somewhat irregular fashion can attract the attention of the police. He has also come to realise that when a police car turns on its emergency lights, it is better to use the brakes to stop rather than to come to a halt by crashing into the police car.
  • Improving safety for vulnerable road users
    January 2, 2013
    Dutch-style cycle safety for other European nations – Mike Woof writes A recent event held in London during October was aimed at improving safety for vulnerable road users. Called Love London go Dutch, the event was intended to highlight some of the experience from Holland in reducing risk rates for vulnerable road users such as cyclists. Similar events were held in other UK cities, while other major European cities such as Paris that are seeing an increase in cycling also have a lot to learn from Dutch exp