> >>From The Observer 27/12/98 > >A German montorist has paid the price for following orders without >question: he drove his BMW into the Havel river after obediently >following instructions beamed to its satellite-guided navigation system >on his dashboard. > >Oblivious to stop signs, never mind the river stretched out before him, >the 57 year old driver from Hamburg unhesitatingly continued on his >journey, past a stop sign, down a ferry ramp and then into the Havel. >Sedately his BMW sank in about four metres of water. > >Neither he nor his passenger was hurt in the accident, but traffic on the >river had to be stopped for about two hours while divers were fishing out >his car. > >'You can't always blindly rely on technology,' said a coastguard, showing >unusual Teutonic restraint. > >The accident happened on Christmas Day, when the couple went out for a >drive and came to Caputh in eastern Germany, where a ferry operates >across the river. > >However, that crucial piece of information was not stored in the >satellite-steered navigation system of their BMW. Displayed on the >dashboard, it uses signals from satellites to indicate the precise >position of a vehicle on an electronic map. > >Unfortunately, the BMW's map showed the presence of a bridge when it >should have indicated a ferry. > >As a result, the driver ignored the warnings of the real world - signs, >people shouting, flashing red lights, that sort of thing - placing his >faith instead on its electronic counterpart. He was rewarded for his >belief by being dumped in the water.' >
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For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who don't, no explanation will suffice.