In a recent car insurance commercial, a character named “Mayhem” portrays the role of the vehicle’s GPS navigation system. As the GPS, the actor screams out directions, then changes his instructions at the last second, causing the driver to panic and drive into several nearby vehicles, causing a massive car accident. This may seem like a comical way to illustrate the need for good car insurance, but for one New Jersey woman, it is likely hitting too close to home after her GPS system directed her right into a head-on collision.
According to the police report, a 31-year-old Lawnside woman was driving to an appointment at South Jersey Healthcare Fitness Connection early Tuesday morning. While traveling east on Sherman Avenue in Vineland, the driver’s GPS system instructed her to make a left turn. Although the medical center was to her right, the driver assumed that her GPS knew best, as most of us do, and turned left.
However, that proved to be the wrong move. The driver turned onto a dirt road and immediately crashed into an oncoming car driven by a 48-year-old woman from Vineland before jumping a curb, hitting a traffic light, and eventually coming to a stop.
Neither driver was seriously hurt in the motor vehicle accident. The driver had injuries to her arm and chest from her seat belt and airbag deployment, and the Vineland woman had pain in her abdomen. Both women were taken to the South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center. The driver was also cited for the improper left turn that was directed by her GPS.
If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident, please contact Breslin & Breslin for a free consultation.
Source: New Jersey Courier-Post, “Lawnside driver follows GPS into head-on collision”, Deborah M. Marko, 16 February 2011
