2 ms·

I don't know the relevant laws for this case so I can't say anything about what a court might decide. I'm just stating my opinion. Google Maps being wrong is n

by sfn42 3y ago

I don't know the relevant laws for this case so I can't say anything about what a court might decide. I'm just stating my opinion. Google Maps being wrong is not dangerous. It's an inconvenience. There can be absolutely no expectation that Google Maps is correct. Routes are generated automatically by complex algorithms working on imperfect data. I'm sure if anyone gave a shit they'd find this type of warning in some TOS or whatever. People driving recklessly is dangerous. If you drive off a collapsed bridge you were driving recklessly. There is no way that happens if you drive responsibly. You are literally trying to drive onto a bridge that does not exist, you can't see any bridge there but you are trying to drive onto it anyway. There are two ways I can see this happening. Either you were looking away (generally phone) for multiple seconds without properly looking ahead, or you were going much much faster than you should given the conditions. Google can, in my opinion, not be held responsible for reckless drivers who happen to be using their app.

PhasmaFelis 3y ago
Google is not responsible for having immediate, omniscient knowledge of traffic hazards. They are responsible for heeding user-submitted warnings in a reasonably timely fashion, using the systems that they created specifically to do that. That doesn't mean the distracted driver is blameless. More than one party can share blame.
- sfn42 3y ago
  Yes, Google is responsible for administrating their own app. Yes, Google definitely should update their maps when notified of errors. No, Google does not have any obligation to do so. They are providing an extremely valuable service for free. No, Google does not hold any blame in this case. The moron who drove off a collapsed bridge because he was (probably) busy looking at his phone holds the blame. Google Maps generates routes based on complex algorithms and an absolutely enormous amount of imperfect data. It is not always reliable, nor is there any promise that it will be reliable. It's a tool that usually works. When it doesn't, you figure it out and deal with it.
  - PhasmaFelis 3y ago
    > Yes, Google is responsible for administrating their own app. > > No, Google does not have any obligation to do so. They are providing an extremely valuable service for free. Which is it? Are they responsible, or are they not? The fact that it's free does not absolve them of any moral obligations. (Besides which, it's not "free," it's ad-supported. You're implying that they should get points for their selflessness in providing this service to the world, but that's not what they're doing.) > The moron who drove off a collapsed bridge because he was (probably) busy looking at his phone holds the blame. Why make assumptions when there's information readily available? Look at picture in the article. This was a narrow gap in an unlit, unpainted road in the forest, at night, in the rain. The guardrails were still up. Even if you were tightly focused on the road and driving at a reasonable speed, it could easily look like nothing more than a dark spot in a dark road. The greatest blame probably ought to fall on the local authorities that didn't properly block off the road. But, again, there doesn't have to be just one bad guy.
bzhang255 3y ago
I think there were a few things going on here that make me more sympathetic to the driver: 1. The picture in the article makes it seem like the bridge is located in a very residential spot where you might have your guard down. 2. The article mentions it was dark and raining when the accident occurred. 3. The driver was in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and in those times, I think many, many people have gotten very used to relying on Google/Apple Maps to "get you home without directing you into a creek".
- sfn42 3y ago
  1. All the more reason to be on the lookout for kids in the road etc. 2. All the more reason to slow down, you can't drive if you can't see. 3. All the more reason to slow down. Especially if you have to spend time looking at the map. Yes, it was a more difficult driving experience than a familiar road on a sunny day. So you slow down. That's what being a responsible driver means. If you just gun it with no idea what's up ahead you're going to end up in a river or worse, hurt someone else.

by sfn42 3y ago

PhasmaFelis 3y ago

Google is not responsible for having immediate, omniscient knowledge of traffic hazards. They are responsible for heeding user-submitted warnings in a reasonably timely fashion, using the systems that they created specifically to do that. That doesn't mean the distracted driver is blameless. More than one party can share blame.

sfn42 3y ago
Yes, Google is responsible for administrating their own app. Yes, Google definitely should update their maps when notified of errors. No, Google does not have any obligation to do so. They are providing an extremely valuable service for free. No, Google does not hold any blame in this case. The moron who drove off a collapsed bridge because he was (probably) busy looking at his phone holds the blame. Google Maps generates routes based on complex algorithms and an absolutely enormous amount of imperfect data. It is not always reliable, nor is there any promise that it will be reliable. It's a tool that usually works. When it doesn't, you figure it out and deal with it.
- PhasmaFelis 3y ago
  > Yes, Google is responsible for administrating their own app. > > No, Google does not have any obligation to do so. They are providing an extremely valuable service for free. Which is it? Are they responsible, or are they not? The fact that it's free does not absolve them of any moral obligations. (Besides which, it's not "free," it's ad-supported. You're implying that they should get points for their selflessness in providing this service to the world, but that's not what they're doing.) > The moron who drove off a collapsed bridge because he was (probably) busy looking at his phone holds the blame. Why make assumptions when there's information readily available? Look at picture in the article. This was a narrow gap in an unlit, unpainted road in the forest, at night, in the rain. The guardrails were still up. Even if you were tightly focused on the road and driving at a reasonable speed, it could easily look like nothing more than a dark spot in a dark road. The greatest blame probably ought to fall on the local authorities that didn't properly block off the road. But, again, there doesn't have to be just one bad guy.

bzhang255 3y ago

I think there were a few things going on here that make me more sympathetic to the driver: 1. The picture in the article makes it seem like the bridge is located in a very residential spot where you might have your guard down. 2. The article mentions it was dark and raining when the accident occurred. 3. The driver was in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and in those times, I think many, many people have gotten very used to relying on Google/Apple Maps to "get you home without directing you into a creek".

sfn42 3y ago
1. All the more reason to be on the lookout for kids in the road etc. 2. All the more reason to slow down, you can't drive if you can't see. 3. All the more reason to slow down. Especially if you have to spend time looking at the map. Yes, it was a more difficult driving experience than a familiar road on a sunny day. So you slow down. That's what being a responsible driver means. If you just gun it with no idea what's up ahead you're going to end up in a river or worse, hurt someone else.