SatNav Directly Responsible For Man's Death

RobBrady

Well, I suppose it finally had to happen. We've joked many times on this site about people who get themselves into a pickle by fully trusting their satnav and following its every instruction to the letter.

This time it's a lot more serious.

According to the Sun, a 37 year old man has died after following satnav instructions that took him straight into a reservoir in Capilla, Spain.

The tragedy happened at night and it is thought that the driver simply didn't have time to brake when he saw the body of water in front of him. The victim's passenger managed to swim to safety.

How many times have you been led astray by your satnav and how many times, hand on heart, instead of turning round, have you carried on going just that little bit further hoping that eventually you'll be back on track?
_________________
Robert Brady

mikealder · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:20 pm Post subject:

A little unfair on Garmin though to use one of their devices in the picture unless that was the device involved in the tragic incident - Mike

DennisN · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:30 pm Post subject:

Tragic indeed, but yet another case of someone not driving within the capabilities of himself and the machinery - simply didn't have time to brake when he saw the water? That's because he simply wasn't driving within the limits of his headlights. And they say speed doesn't kill!
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

M8TJT · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:55 pm Post subject:

He wasn't driving too fast for his headlights. The Sun clearly put the blame on '...the darkness of the night did not allow them to brake in time..'
Eh Rolling Eyes

Guivre46 · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:15 pm Post subject:

That's sad news. My first thought was how is this different from trying to follow a map in unfamiliar, unlit territory? But I've thought for sometime that a satnav makes you less attentive to driving clues than you would be if you were doing your own thinking, and concentrating on the environment. So the combination of user and device probably led to his death.
_________________
Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
Go 530T - unsupported
Go550 Live [not renewed]
Kia In-dash Tomtom

DarrenR21373 · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:00 pm Post subject:

And I thought I had it bad that time when my satnav directed me through a sewage works...

On the road, not in the pipes, I hasten to add!
_________________
Drive carefully; the Government needs all the Taxpayers it can get.

Kar98 · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:29 am Post subject:

The worst mine have to done was:

* die unexpectantly
* try to send me straight _thru_ the local courthouse that has only been there for a hundred years and there never was a road, ever.
* pronounce Mapleshade Drive as "Map Le Shade Doctor"

The Rudd · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:36 am Post subject:

Bjalf · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:50 am Post subject:

mostdom · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:59 pm Post subject:

I'm struggling to imagine a nice bit of tarmaced road SUDDENLY becoming a resovoire, although we are talking about Spain here. I wonder what clues he did miss to get into that mess.

A photo of the resovoir might provide some sort of vidication of the satnav?
_________________
Dom

HERE LIES PND May it rest in peace.
Navigon 7310/iPhone Navigon&Copilot

Darren · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:10 pm Post subject:

There is this pic from Spanish web site lacronicabadajoz.com:

_________________
Darren Griffin

mostdom · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:17 pm Post subject:

telegraph

Same here laying blame on the satnav, however this reservoir is enormous. Put this into google 'Embalse de la Serena' and you'll see it's huge. On the otherhand if you zoom in there is some very questionable mapping of the local area even with google maps.

I guess the blame accually lies in little or no mapping of local roads, poor signage, and inappropriate warnings of hazzards. That combined with driver blindly following satnav. As with most desasters, multiple small failures resulting in one catastrophic failure.
_________________
Dom

HERE LIES PND May it rest in peace.
Navigon 7310/iPhone Navigon&Copilot

mostdom · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:33 pm Post subject:

Ok so I put the route they were taking into google and got this.

From, Cabeza del Buey, to, Ciudad Real, Spain.

I'd say thats pretty damming of the quality of the local mapping.

Now who do you blame first, the reservoir managment for not arranging to update the maps. The mapping companies for not getting out there to update the maps. The ordenance servayors for not passing on the updates.

????
_________________
Dom

HERE LIES PND May it rest in peace.
Navigon 7310/iPhone Navigon&Copilot

Darren · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:36 pm Post subject:

I wonder how long that reservoir has been there?
_________________
Darren Griffin

mostdom · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:51 pm Post subject:

A wiki search suggests that the reservoir was 82% full in 1997 and was damned in 1995, so I'd say that the extremities of the reservoir have been in place for some time, enough for some mapping to take place.

@Darren I think that the photo may just show where they dragged the car out from, but unsure as the translation of the article is unclear. Looks more like a boat loading ramp!
_________________
Dom

HERE LIES PND May it rest in peace.
Navigon 7310/iPhone Navigon&Copilot

	PocketGPS
	Web