Time and again, we overlook that technology, like the navigation system, is a tool meant to assist us, not replace our judgment. Recent accidents highlight that common sense is rarer than assumed. In the latest case, a Hyundai Verna driver, guided by the maps, drove onto an under-construction flyover in Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh, only to plummet onto a ledge where the road was incomplete. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported. The driver insists he was merely following the app’s route.
Technical glitch or human error?
According to a report by CarTorq, the Hyundai Verna was returning from Nepal and was on its way to Gorakhpur. Based on reports, the driver was driving at night and was not familiar with the route. Therefore, he had switched on Google Maps and was following the directions. As it was nighttime, the driver was not able to see the unfinished flyover and when he did, it was too late. He had managed to apply the brakes, but it was, sadly, too late. The Verna nosedived into the unfinished patch and landed on the surface in a 45-degree. Thankfully as the car slowed before it fell into the ditched, it managed to avoid a high-speed fatal crash.
The locals heard the loud crash and called the police as they saw the car was facedown into the surface. In the morning construction workers lifted the Verna out of the unfinished part of the flyover with the help of a crane.
According to the report, before the police arrived at the location, the car was already removed and the passengers had safely got out of the sedan.
Police is investigating the reason behind this crash and apart from the possibility of the driver’s negligence and a navigation tech glitch, it is also the responsibility of the construction company to cordon off the under construction area and put up plenty of warning and diversion signs.
