don't trust those GPS Units

iluvmycsx

Mr Csx
VIP Member
3,216
1,317
Regina - The City That Rhymes with Fun
Vehicle Model
Acura Csx
Body Style
Sedan
110615_suv_crash.jpg

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Three young women escaped a sinking SUV after a direction from a rental car GPS unit sent them down a boat launch and into the Mercer Slough near Bellevue early Wednesday.
The driver apparently thought she was on a road while following her GPS unit just after midnight - but she was actually heading down the Sweyolocken boat launch.
"We've seen sitcom parodies of something like this and to actually see it is surprising," said Lt. Eric Keenan with the Bellevue Fire Department.
The road was dark and the driver crashed the SUV into the water in Mercer Slough Nature Park.
"I don't know why they wouldn't question driving into a puddle that doesn't seem to end," Keenan said.
He says one of the women immediately jumped to safety.
"We understand the other two women tried to stay with the SUV as long as they could by standing on these side door frames, but they finally had to wade to safety when the vehicle kept drifting out farther into the slough," Keenan said.
All three women made out safely, but the SUV was completely under water.
Officials said the three were in town for a Costco conference in Issaquah and trying to get to a hotel in Bellevue.
"They were trying to re-route their path and found this boat launch near the entrance to I-90 in South Bellevue and just kept driving into the water," Keenan said.
A tow truck driver was at the scene before 5 a.m., but couldn't even see the SUV. However, they were able to eventually find the vehicle and tow it out of the water later Wednesday morning.
Police don't suspect drugs or alcohol were involved -- just a case of a lost driver and a GPS system that didn't quite live up to standards.
 
^ women drivers :hiding:

WomanDriver1.jpg
 
Faith in GPS sends Mercedes downstream



So far, over-dependence on GPS devices has resulted in more inconvenience than actual danger, but things took a turn for the worse earlier this month when a U.K. woman sent her £96k Mercedes SL500 flying into a river, trusting the car's optimistic GPS guidance instead of the road signs warning of impending doom. Matters were made worse as the river was swollen from recent heavy rains, which caused the vehicle to be swept some 200 meters downstream before the woman was able to escape. While she emerged unscathed, the car unfortunately wasn't quite so lucky, remaining stuck in the river for a week after the incident and now believed to be a complete write-off.
==============
 
Back
Top