At the dusk hour of yesterday evening, a young woman had a brush with danger when her GPS – supposed beacon of trust in unfamiliar territory – misdirected her into a deep, water-filled ditch in Ban Choet, Phanat Nikhom District, Chon Buri province.

 

25-year-old Jariya found herself on a precarious detour to her friend's house around 7 pm, led astray by her mobile phone GPS. Rescue volunteers from Sawang Het Thung Hiang were summoned to the scene to recover her submerged motorcycle from the ditch – a sizeable trough spanning six metres across, stretching out to ten, situated three metres below ground level.

 

Darkness and overgrowth muddied the distinction between the road and the ditch as the unsuspecting woman continued according to the GPS instructions. By the time she realised her misstep, it was too late to prevent the plunge.

 

 

Chawanakorn Khunwut, one of the on-site rescue volunteers, pointed out the overall dimness of the area and the wild grass overgrowth, both of which could significantly confuse any road user unfamiliar with the route. Interestingly, the mischievous GPS had supposedly charted a shortcut leading to the rear of Jariya's friend's house.

 

Jariya, shaken but thankfully not critically injured, clambered out of the waterlogged ditch, leaving her motorcycle behind. Once at the scene, the rescue team geared up with sufficient lighting and sturdy ropes to locate and lift the waterlogged vehicle. With ropes secured to the handlebars and wheels, the motorcycle was successfully retrieved in a swift operation lasting 20 minutes.

 

After experiencing this startling ordeal, Jariya, donning minor abrasions, serves as a living reminder of the importance of caution when following digital navigation, especially in poorly lit areas or unfamiliar territories. Let her story serve as a wake-up call to residents and travellers alike, underscoring that blind faith in technology could potentially lead one astray, or in this case, into a ditch.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-11-22

 

 

If I was daft enough to follow a GPS off a road and into a ditch - I'd be keeping it very quiet out of pure embarrassment.. 

 

It is quite astonishing...  how many drivers / riders blame GPS when ending up in a body of water or stuck on a foot bridge.... Can't they even see ?

 

8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

one of the on-site rescue volunteers, pointed out the overall dimness of the area and the wild grass overgrowth, both of which could significantly confuse any road user unfamiliar with the route

 

Nope... Generally the absense of 'road' is a bit of a giveaway !!!

20 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Nope... Generally the absense of 'road' is a bit of a giveaway !!!

Not to us hardy bike riders.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Darkness and overgrowth muddied the distinction between the road and the ditch as the unsuspecting woman continued according to the GPS instructions. By the time she realised her misstep, it was too late to prevent the plunge.

Eyes on the road and less gas when you're unsure

Google maps has often led me astray in Pattaya.

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Google maps has often led me astray in Pattaya.

I thought it was the bar girls etc that did that!

Should look road not phone ,people using  phones must cause so many deaths in this country 

2 hours ago, mikebell said:

Google maps has often led me astray in Pattaya.

 

Next time you're out on a 'gender bender'...   don't go google maps searching the "cock & roll bar" !!! 

... that should help keep you on the straight and narrow !!!   

 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Darkness and overgrowth muddied the distinction between the road and the ditch

Idly wondering if she had learned anything... 

22 hours ago, mikebell said:

Google maps has often led me astray in Pattaya.

Not that I needed their help on that one!

23 hours ago, mikebell said:

Google maps has often led me astray in Pattaya.

 

I'm sure you found your way quickly!

 

23 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

 

I'm sure you found your way quickly!

 

It took only a 'short time'.

In fairness, GPS can sometimes be a real aid to navigation.  A few years ago, I would travel by motorbike through the hills of Shan State (Myanmar).  There were very few roads, very few road-signs, and all of these signs were only in Burmese (at that time, I couldn't read the script).

 

Despite being 'in the middle of nowhere', my mobile phone GPS always had a radio signal and the directions kept me on the correct route 🙂

Smart phones + stupid people

Who ya gonna believe? Google maps or your lyin eyes?