Death, Injury and Car Accident by GPS

Each and every day of Americans rely on GPS to get them where they need to go. And in most cases drivers arrive at their destination with little to no problem, as a result, drivers have come to trust the GPS apps. However, there are some situations where drivers will listen to the GPS apps to their detriment, possibly getting in a crash when following directions literally or sustaining damages when the app fails to warn of various road hazards.

An article entitled "A man drives his truck into a river after following Google Map directions published on May 20, 2019 stated that the driver went off a cliff and into a river in Bali after following a route that turned out to be for motorcycles only. The same article mentioned that in 2015 a woman died of severe burns in a car accident; the police concluded that the husband, who was driving the car, was too focused on the GPS instructions that he failed to see the closed road signs.

While GPS devices today contains sophisticated features, many critics have blamed them for adding to distractions and deterring the attention of drivers from road signs that may inform them of dangers ahead. It is not uncommon for such devices to come with photo-realistic displays that highlight highway interchanges and information about geographical features. Some models even display information on the windshield instead of on a mounted car device or phone app. When such a device gets the driver to focus on it only the driver may miss unexpected dangers.

In contrast, critics also have criticized the devices for not being advanced enough as they may lag behind real-time changes such as roads that are closed for construction, flooding conditions, roads that are restricted during certain hours, temporary detours and other conditions.

It must be noted that GPS apps may include a long set of disclaimers under its terms of conditions. Such conditions may state that the app is not guaranteeing that all important information is revealed and stating that it is not responsible for accidents that result in relying on the app. The terms of conditions may also state that the apps may contain mistakes and that they may not be able to keep up with current information such as construction sites. App users may be required to agree to such terms of conditions when they download the app.

It must be noted that some GPS device manufacturers have been sued in the past based on negligence principles. One such case was in Boston against a large GPS manufacturer for failing to warn that the device should not be used on commercial vehicles because they did not alert when these trucks would come in low clearance areas resulting in damage to the top of the vehicle. Generally, there is a lack of cases involving GPS technology and as a result limited case law on GPS liability. However, it is possible to hold the manufacturer responsible and use legal theories with assistance of recommended personal injury lawyers.

For legal advice and representation in a car accident speak to a car accident personal injury lawyer today.

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