Three people have escaped drowning in their car in the UK after the GPS satellite navigation system they were using sent them veering into a lake. The incident occurred at night time and they were not familiar with the area.
Driving their SUV in Washington, near Newcastle in England, the three women were following the direction provided by the sat-nav system at about midnight. The driver of the car said the guidance system sent them down a dead end road which eventually turned out to be a boat ramp for the local marina.
The three managed to escape fast enough not to go down with the car. They then swam to the shore and watched the vehicle sink to the bottom of the lake. Fortunately, no one was injured. A tow truck driver was called to the incident soon after but didn’t arrive to rescue the car until around 5am.
According to officials, the women were on their way back from a conference and heading towards their hotel when they become lost. They then relied on the sat-nav to guide them to their destination.
Seriously though, are we becoming so dependent on technology these days that we can’t even drive a car if left to our own devices? Surely most drivers are able to tell if they are driving down a boat ramp with water in front of them without technology warning them?
Feel free to tell us of your sat-nav mishap stories below. Perhaps a GPS system has sent you off in the wrong direction, or off the road and into a creek?
