The 8 Most Hilarious Ways GPS Has Screwed People Over
We tend to rely on GPS technology a little too much, particularly while driving through an unfamiliar area looking for a friend and/or drug dealer's house. The more advanced GPS technology becomes, the easier it is for us to forget that, due to programming errors or outdated source maps, GPS routes are often utterly incorrect to the point of inflicting personal catastrophe.
GPS Tells Woman to Drive Car onto Railroad Tracks, So She Does
A Boston woman was driving along the road with her two children one night when she made a right turn directly onto a railroad track at the direction of her GPS, because you don't argue with your robot overlords when they're commanding you on your minivan journey. When she realized she couldn't steer her car off the tracks, she simply took her children and abandoned the vehicle, which was eventually hit by a train.
Unfortunately, her policy didn't cover "act of God- damn, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
Despite the fact that she had endangered the lives of 70 passengers by leaving a two-ton roadblock in the middle of the tracks, the police decided not to ticket her, perhaps reasoning that she was too stupid to glean any meaningful lesson from the incident.
A Couple Gets Stranded for Days on a Back Road
An elderly couple was driving to an RV rally in Oregon when they followed their electronic navigator onto a logging road and got trapped in a thicket of mud and felled trees. They felt that something was amiss, but boldly pushed ahead because of their GPS' continued assurance that it was totally the right way.
They eventually got stuck and had to spend two nights in the wilderness before calling authorities to come get them free.
"Shit like this happens all the time. That's actually why we bought the RV."
A Man Drives Down a Bike Trail
A man drove his family sedan down a narrow bike trail in the middle of the night at the behest of his electronic co-pilot until police received enough calls from concerned locals to send an officer out to pull him over before he killed one or more cyclists.
"If only there had been some sort of warning sign."
It is unclear whether the man thought that he had stumbled upon the world's smallest two-lane highway or that he had just driven his family through a magic keyhole and they'd all become giants.
A Man Accidentally Drives to Canada and Is Denied Re-Entry
A man trusted his GPS to lead him on a trip from New York to Pennsylvania and the device instead directed him across the border into Canada, which as you may recognize is in the complete opposite direction. To add to his woes, the man was unable to present any kind of identification to the Canadian customs officers when he tried to turn around and re-enter because he was an illegal alien, officially deported and forever banned from entering the United States back in 2006. He was turned over to the U.S. Marshals, who will likely see that his "Do Not Serve" picture continues to hang in every office along the American border.
His life has basically turned into a giant game of international Chutes and Ladders.
GPS Sends Woman 900 Miles Across Europe
Sabine Morceau of Belgium got into her car and told her GPS to give her the best route to pick up her friend in Brussels, which is 90 miles away and probably around a two-hour trip. Morceau finally realized that the device had led her astray two days later after she had driven 900 miles across Europe. The fact that she hadn't noticed any "Welcome to the Birthplace of Jean-Claude Van Damme" signs should've been her first clue, but Morceau insists that she had simply been too distracted to notice that she'd been in the car for two sunsets on a trip that should've been completed in an afternoon.
"I asked for help, but it was like they were speaking another language."
Apple Maps Directs Several Drivers onto an Active Runway
New iPhones apparently come equipped with a very specific Apple Maps error that has been directing people to drive right onto an active runway at a major Alaska airport.
"Just pull right up to the airplane, it's way faster." -Apple Maps
Two different people courageously ignored numerous security gates and "THIS IS A FUCKING AIRPORT" signs before the tarmac had to be barricaded completely.
Yes, people are literally this stupid.
Satellite Navigation Sends Spanish Drivers Down a Giant Staircase
Drivers in Turuel, Spain, have been steering their vehicles down the town's stairs and blaming it on faulty satellite navigation technology instead of faulty eyeballs and situational awareness.
Seen here.
Five separate incidents of vehicles blindly turning down the road and getting trapped on the steps have occurred, including one car that had to be lifted out with a crane, leading us to wonder if the steps are an elaborate mousetrap installed by the Spanish government to catch car thieves.
Man Drives His Car Down a Boat Launch and into a Harbor
After driving his car off the ferry, an Alaska man's GPS told him to take a hard right, perhaps feeling that it was unnecessary to specify that he should finish driving out of the harbor before making the turn. Instead, the robot's words were taken as the immediate gospel and the man swerved his car directly onto a boat launch and into the fucking Prince William Sound. He was able to rescue himself and his dog, but his cat was trapped in a pet taxi and will remain a tragic lesson for us all.
Meanwhile, the dog is chilling in Mexico after receiving a conveniently placed cat life insurance policy.
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