Misled by Google Maps, car falls into ditch near Mumbai

Hans India

27-07-2025

Mumbai: A woman drove her car into a ditch in Navi Mumbai on Friday as she was following directions through Google Maps. The incident took place while she was on her way from Belapur to Ulwe. The woman was supposed to take the Bay bridge in Belapur, but Google Maps navigated her through a route beneath the bridge - leading to Dhruvatara Jetty. Unaware, she continued to follow the directions. Minutes later, the woman drove into the water. The marine security officials witnessed the accident and quickly engaged in pulling the woman out of the ditch - who was seen floating in the water.
She was rescued within a few minutes and was not injured. Her car was also pulled out of the ditch. This isn't the first time Google Maps has mislead people and caused accidents - some even tragic. Last year, three people died after the car, being navigated using Google Maps, climbed onto a damaged bridge and plunged into the river flowing 50 feet below in Faridpur when it was travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district.
Google, responding to the accident, had asserted that it was assisting the authorities in the investigation. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We're working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue," it said. In another incident, a tourist group from Hyderabad drove into a swollen stream while following Google Maps in Kerala. The road they were travelling on was covered by water overflowing from the stream due to the heavy rains and since the tourists were unfamiliar with the area, they drove right into the water body while navigating using Google maps. All four escaped unharmed.