A deadly automobile accident results in murder case in opposition to Google Maps in Uttar Pradesh

The favored Google Maps got here beneath main scrutiny after the navigation instrument was held answerable for the dying of three males in India. Earlier this week, three males died after their automobile veered off an unfinished bridge and fell onto a riverbed in Uttar Pradesh. Whereas the matter is beneath investigation, the preliminary report advised that Google Maps led the group to the doomed route.

As per the reviews, part of the bridge, the place the accident came about, collapsed earlier this 12 months on account of heavy floods. Whereas the locals had been conscious of the bridge collapse, the three males had been new to the world and weren’t conscious of the incident.

What made issues regarding was the actual fact that there have been no barricades or signal boards indicating that the bridge was unfinished. Shortly after the incident, the UP police launched a case in opposition to 4 engineers from the state’s highway division and an unnamed official from Google Maps.

However can a navigation app be held answerable for the tragedy?

Whereas chatting with BBC Hindi, a spokesperson from Google India stated it was cooperating with the investigation. The tragic incident not solely put a highlight on India’s poor highway infrastructure but additionally sparked a brand new debate on whether or not navigation apps like Google Maps share duty for such incidents.

Whereas some blamed the app for not offering correct data or any kind of warning in regards to the unfinished bridge, many argued that the blame lies on the federal government for not cordoning off the world. It’s pertinent to notice that Google Maps is the most well-liked navigation app in India and has turn out to be synonymous with GPS (World Positioning System), a satellite-based radio navigation system.

The navigation app additionally powers companies of many ride-sharing, e-commerce and meals supply platforms within the nation. In response to BBC, the app reportedly has round 60 million lively customers and witnesses round 50 million searches a day.

Nevertheless, Google Maps has not been free from scrutiny for offering incorrect instructions, generally resulting in deadly accidents. This isn’t the primary time that Google Maps has been blamed for deadly accidents.

In 2021, a person from Maharashtra state drowned after he drove his automobile right into a dam, allegedly whereas following instructions on the app. Final 12 months, two medical doctors from Kerala, died after they drove their automobile into the river. Through the investigation of the case, the police stated that the medical doctors had been following a route proven by the app and cautioned individuals in opposition to counting on it an excessive amount of when roads had been flooded.

Can Google Maps pay attention to modifications within the highway?

It’s pertinent to notice that GPS alerts from customers’ apps observe site visitors modifications alongside routes. These alerts enhance in case of congestion. In the meantime, the app additionally receives updates from governments and customers about site visitors jams or closures.

Ashish Nair, the founding father of the mapping platform Potter Maps and a former Google Maps worker, instructed BBC that the app prioritises complaints associated to excessive site visitors or those notified by authorities. Nevertheless, he identified that Google doesn’t have the manpower to take care of hundreds of thousands of complaints which can be streaming in each single day.

“A map operator then makes use of satellite tv for pc imagery, Google Avenue View and authorities notifications to substantiate the change and replace the map,” Nair defined. He insisted that navigation apps can’t be held answerable for mishaps as their phrases of service emphasise that customers should apply their very own judgement on the highway and the data offered by the app would possibly differ from precise circumstances.

He famous that it’s troublesome for navigation apps like Google, which manages maps the world over, to concentrate on each change that occurs on a highway.