Technology can pose significant risks, and I’m not referring to advanced weapons or drones. I’m talking about the everyday technology we rely on. It’s important to remember that your smartphone should not substitute for your common sense. For instance, blindly following GPS directions can lead to disastrous outcomes, such as driving into a lake. This is precisely what happened with Tara Guertin.
As reported by First Coast News, Tara lent her Jeep to three friends from Connecticut visiting Burlington, Vermont. They relied on the Waze app for navigation, which utilizes turn-by-turn GPS directions along with user-reported traffic incidents to determine the quickest route from one destination to another.
According to Tara’s friends, the app instructed them to turn onto a boat launch adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard station. Under dark and foggy conditions, the trio ended up driving approximately 100 feet into the lake before realizing their grave error.
Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo confirmed the driver was sober at the time. Officer Padric Hartnett, present at the scene, reported that the driver consented to field sobriety tests and performed without any issues. The driver noted that “heavy fog and light rain” obscured visibility, and that the boat launch was inadequately lit.
Naturally, a boat launch isn’t bright or well-marked, but it raises questions about the users’ awareness. Waze does not only provide step-by-step directions but also displays a map overview. It seems odd that they didn’t realize they were close to a lake. The dense fog should have been an obvious clue that water was nearby.
A representative from Waze was unable to clarify how the vehicle ended up in the water, stating, “Without access to the user’s driving data, we cannot comment definitively. Generally, Waze maps are updated with millions of edits daily to reflect current road conditions, making them highly accurate.”
I look forward to reviewing the driving data for this incident. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t an audio recording; I would wager that the driver’s last words were likely not “Where are we?” but rather “Watch this.”
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