Welsh village under attack by GPS-blind drivers

We tend to shed a tear or two for humanity each time one of these stories crosses our radar, and unfortunately, this one had us bawling. Apparently, residents in Llangadog have been frustrated time and time again as drivers of large trucks came rumbling through blindly following directions spat out by navigation systems. Wide vehicles have now failed to successfully traverse a very narrow road and not destroy any property in the process not once, not even twice, but three times, leaving a previously restored building in the community damaged (thrice) by recklessness. Reportedly, around £1.5 million ($3.12 million) is being spent to beautify landmark properties in Llangadog and Llandovery, but there's mounting concern that GPS-reliant motorists could reverse any progress by striking buildings as they attempt to squeeze through. It sounds as if signs are being erected to inform drivers of their navigator's cluelessness, but who knows if folks will actually take their eyes off of the LCD long enough to notice.

[Thanks, Josh]

[Cesar Cardoso @ Nov 12th 2007 7:27AM]

I, for once, welcome our new navigation devices overlords. Damn, if I don't welcome them, they'll send lost trucks to destroy my house!

[Kizorblade @ Nov 12th 2007 8:36AM]

"Damn, if I don't welcome them, they'll send lost trucks to destroy my house!"

"Lost" trucks ;)

[Samo @ Nov 12th 2007 7:27AM]

I wouldn't bee surprised if the Welsh started to throw sheep at the drivers to get their attention!

[MikeG @ Nov 13th 2007 6:48PM]

Seriously you wouldn't be surprised?

[Burkanov @ Nov 12th 2007 7:35AM]

Well, it looks like the times, when cities will be built according to the existing gps-maps, are not so far away...

[master_sword @ Nov 12th 2007 7:47AM]

That sucks for those folk, stupid truck drivers! Go back to driving school, use a fold-up map (although those can be difficult as well...)!!

[Wiserun @ Nov 12th 2007 7:50AM]

Even paper maps probably don't tell you the width of the street you're about to go down. It might make them pay more attention to the road, though, and the sign that says "Narrow road ahead".

[Jaxim @ Nov 12th 2007 7:52AM]

They just need to make the road so the drivers have to pay attention to the roads and not the GPS unit: i.e. make the road winding and/or place speed bumps every so many feet.

[Chief Elf @ Nov 12th 2007 8:05AM]

Forget putting up signs. Put up an archway at each end that won't allow vehicles that are too large for the road.

[Timothy @ Nov 12th 2007 9:07AM]

With hot pokers pointing at an appropriate level on the right side of the cab... ;)

Timothy

[dluna @ Nov 12th 2007 8:21AM]

I just don't get how they do that? Are they the drivers just fixed with blinders just looking at the LCD screen that they can't look out the window and say,"hey that looks too narrow." or "oh, look a cliff"

[m-p{3} @ Nov 12th 2007 9:33AM]

Remind me of this comic strip from Wulff Morgenthaler

http://www.wulffmorgenthaler.com/striphandler.ashx?stripid=0677b678-369b-4570-80ac-ddb60d2d5c22

[Patrick @ Nov 12th 2007 2:40PM]

I too. Can someone respond to this one? I've heard these stories before. Are these folks just not looking at the road? I mean, wouldn't they glance at where they are every few seconds and realize where they are going? Do they see the "GPS reality" as being more real than "real life"? I'm still confused; this is extremely bizarre. hmm.

[Ken @ Nov 12th 2007 10:49AM]

don't go pinning this on "humanity". This is a European problem. How many Canadians or Americans are driving off of closed bridges due to sat nav?

[sheik124 @ Nov 12th 2007 10:59AM]

For real. It's like every time I hear about someone doing something stupid involving 1. their GPS 2. NOT paying attention to the road right in front of them, it's a story from the UK. Do they just stare at their nav screens and neglect that nice slab of glass called a windshield entirely?

[dhughes @ Nov 12th 2007 11:29AM]

I was going to say that! The only stories I've read were people were blindly following their GPS device were stories from the UK. Maybe it's because the roads are so narrow there, there are more people crammed together in a small area and a lot of people use GPS devices that these incidents are more common in the UK.

[Andrew @ Nov 13th 2007 9:42AM]

Yeah, sure, as if. That's a rather ignorant thing to say. I'm plenty sure there are American idiots driving into walls because of their GPS. And to point out the obvious, the UK, is hardly typically European. Some might even call it not European at all. Given their odd measurement systems and their halfhearted ties to Europe proper. The Continent has a very different culture from the UK, and we drive on the right side of the road.

[Ken @ Nov 13th 2007 11:03AM]

"I'm plenty sure there are American idiots driving into walls because of their GPS."

No there isn't. That's the point. A disproportionate amount of sat nav related accidents are in Europe. This shit doesn't happen nearly as much in the states nor in the provinces and we have 10x the number of drivers.

[Wilder.K.Wight @ Nov 12th 2007 11:48AM]

Question: Wouldn't it be easier for them to just contact the GPS people to let them know to CHANGE the information on the device? I know it's all based on satellites, but there has to be some human input somewhere. Couldn't they make a version that is ONLY for large vehicles, so that it excludes small roads and places where they AREN'T SUPPOSED TO DRIVE?!?!

Unless the GPS devices were invented, programmed, and produced by devious robots...

[pball_inuyasha @ Nov 12th 2007 2:50PM]

That is actually what I was going to say. Make a version for commercial use and have the drive enter how large the vehicle is then it will not use certain roads

[CharlieX @ Nov 12th 2007 12:01PM]

I'm telling you, our Robotic Overlords from the distant future are sabotaging GPS. We'll kill ourselves off well before the Robot Wars begin. It's an dastardly plan!

[Mark @ Nov 12th 2007 12:10PM]

Seems to me that they need to take out some roads, say put a 20 meter wide ditch across them (preferrably a wall- a really thick wall), and have a sign with the detour information directly under the "No Trucks"/"Road Closed" signs leading up to the blockade.

[Dan @ Nov 12th 2007 12:44PM]

"Deadbolt!"

[Irregular Shed @ Nov 12th 2007 12:58PM]

I think it's worth pointing out that virtually all of the huge-vehicles-destroying-buildings-due-to-GPS stories, whilst being UK-centric, are actually coming about when lorry drivers from continental Europe are relying on their GPS systems that are programmed to talk to them in Czech or Polish rather than trying to cope with English - and Welsh - signs.

A huge problem is that here in the UK we've not managed to shake off the antiquated and baffling imperial system, and all these drivers are used to metric. Apparently suggesting the we start using a form of units that are logical and actually make sense is paramount to treason to the backward masses of Middle England though... sigh.

[austin @ Nov 12th 2007 2:16PM]

Good post. Though in this case, wouldn't a sign of a truck with a big red slash through it be adequate?

[jbcaro @ Nov 12th 2007 1:26PM]

Stupid is as stupid does.

[autopilot @ Nov 13th 2007 10:13AM]

This is another pointless report. Lorry drivers have always caused problems and got into trouble with narrow roads, one way systems and low bridges. But they now have something else to blame. And people go oh yeah, it's those silly GPS thingy-watsits that did it!

Why do these keep getting reported?