A man in West Yorkshire, England, put a bit too much trust in his TomTom GPS, faithfully following its directions up a narrow dirt path and to the edge of a cliff. He said he didn’t realize he was in danger until running into a fence, Bizarrenews.org reported.
Robert Jones, 43, was driving a BMW 5 Series home from a friend’s house in March and was unsure of the way, so he left it up to the TomTom. Jones said at his recent trial that he was distracted because he was running out of gas and didn’t realize he was on a dangerous path until he struck a fence at the edge of the 100-foot drop.
“The defendant followed that system to the letter, so much so it led him up a lane clearly unsuitable for motor vehicles,” prosecutor Waseem Raja said. “The path was such it was not designed for use of motor vehicles, yet Mr. Jones slavishly continued to follow the satnav system to the point where his eyes and his brain must have been telling him otherwise to such a degree he was not exercising proper control over the vehicle.”
Jones told the court he drives 5,000 miles a week using his TomTom, and it has never before led him astray.
“I might have been an idiot for taking the wrong road or carrying on, but I have not driven without due care or attention,” Jones said. “I’m sorry it happened. I certainly would not do it again.”
He was found guilty of driving without due care and attention and fined a total $1,458 U.S.
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