# GPS directs Australian driver onto tracks



## CHamilton (Sep 30, 2015)

Wrong turn: Man watches car being hit after GPS sends him onto suburban train line


----------



## oregon pioneer (Sep 30, 2015)

Ouch.


----------



## jis (Oct 1, 2015)

Did he check his brain in at the bank for safe keeping before he embarked on this GPS guided misadventure?


----------



## fairviewroad (Oct 1, 2015)

So apparently you dial "Triple Zero" in Australia instead of 911? I did not know that.


----------



## alan_s (Oct 1, 2015)

CHamilton said:


> Wrong turn: Man watches car being hit after GPS sends him onto suburban train line


It was on our news last night. I've driven across those tracks several times, my son lives nearby, but I am not usually on GPS at the time. I must admit I can't imagine being so confused by GPS instructions that I would mistake tracks for the road.







I don't know which GPS the bloke was using but it has happened at that rail/road intersection several times. It will be interesting to see if MetroRail or the car driver's insurance decide to sue the GPS map providers.


----------



## alan_s (Oct 1, 2015)

fairviewroad said:


> So apparently you dial "Triple Zero" in Australia instead of 911? I did not know that.


Yes, 000 is our emergency number. It confused me when I first travelled overseas and found Americans use 911, the Brits are 999 and mobile phone emergency is 112. Only the USA uses 911 AFAIK.


----------



## Bob Dylan (Oct 1, 2015)

Wonder if that bloke had just downed a few pints in the pub before climbing in the car, and trusted a computer to get him to his destination?

Well you see Officer, a paved road and Railroad tracks look so much alike that I didn't realize I was on the tracks!

Where did that train cone from?


----------



## Eric S (Oct 1, 2015)

alan_s said:


> fairviewroad said:
> 
> 
> > So apparently you dial "Triple Zero" in Australia instead of 911? I did not know that.
> ...


Canada also uses 911 as the emergency number.


----------



## jis (Oct 1, 2015)

Eric S said:


> alan_s said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, 000 is our emergency number. It confused me when I first travelled overseas and found Americans use 911, the Brits are 999 and mobile phone emergency is 112. Only the USA uses 911 AFAIK.
> ...


I suspect that most of the areas that use the North American Dial Plan use 911 as the emergency number. I used to know this stuff off the top of my head when I worked for Bell Labs, but that was many moons ago, and I have forgotten the details.


----------



## alan_s (Oct 1, 2015)

Eric S said:


> alan_s said:
> 
> 
> > fairviewroad said:
> ...


TIL 

Thanks


----------



## alan_s (Oct 1, 2015)

Bob Dylan said:


> Wonder if that bloke had just downed a few pints in the pub before climbing in the car, and trusted a computer to get him to his destination?
> 
> Well you see Officer, a paved road and Railroad tracks look so much alike that I didn't realize I was on the tracks!
> 
> Where did that train cone from?


Very likely; maybe the previous occasions were similar and they all drink at the same pub  . But I won't say he was or I may end up in court.


----------



## trainman74 (Oct 3, 2015)

I'm a little surprised to see "GPS" in this story, because I would have guessed Australians would use the term "sat-nav" like their Commonwealth compatriots in the U.K.


----------



## alan_s (Oct 3, 2015)

trainman74 said:


> I'm a little surprised to see "GPS" in this story, because I would have guessed Australians would use the term "sat-nav" like their Commonwealth compatriots in the U.K.


No, we use GPS; I've never used sat-nav anywhere but the UK.


----------



## fairviewroad (Oct 7, 2015)

The (US) State Department has a list of emergency numbers around the world. 911 appears to be widely used in the Western Hemisphere and a few

other random locations (Botswana and Liberia, for instance). OTOH, not every Western Hemisphere country uses it (e.g. Chile, Venezuela, Panama).

Also odd that many countries have a different code for ambulance, fire and police...despite there being many situations that would require all three (or at least

the first two).

http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/students-abroad/pdfs/911_ABROAD.pdf


----------

