/ 17 January 2007

Obedient motorist crashes on satnav command

A 46-year-old German motorist driving along a busy road suddenly veered to the left and ended up stuck on a railway track — because his satellite navigation system told him to, police said on Sunday.

The motorist was heading into the north German city of Bremen ”when the friendly voice from his satnav told him to turn left,” a spokesperson said.

”He did what he was ordered to do and turned his Audi left up over the curb and onto the track of a local streetcar line. He tried to back up off the track but got completely stuck.”

The police spokesperson said about a dozen trams were held up until a tow truck arrived to clear the car off the track.

Several German motorists have crashed their cars in recent months, later telling police they were only obeying orders from their satnavs. – Reuters