In a tragic incident in Uttar Pradesh, three men lost their lives when their car fell off an ‘under-constructed’ bridge into the Ramganga River. The accident, which occurred on Sunday, November 23, has raised questions about the role of navigation apps in road accidents. Police believe that the group, on their way to a wedding, followed directions provided by Google Maps, which led them onto the incomplete bridge.
The bridge is reported to have collapsed sometime early this year due to flooding. Locals avoided going to the bridge, but there was no way the three gentlemen could know about the menace of the bridge. They did not find any signs indicating that the bridge is incomplete and under construction.
Charges On Google Maps
Authorities have filed a complaint, naming four engineers from the state’s road department and one unidentified official of Google Maps on charges of culpable homicide. Following the accident, Google stated it would cooperate with the investigations and said the company apologized to families.
This has been a subject of debate in whether navigation apps such as Google Maps should be blamed for such accidents. Some believe that the app did not deliver the right information, and others believe it is a responsibility of the local authority for failing to secure the area or posting warning signs.
Google Maps, which has around 60 million active users in India, often faces criticism for giving wrong directions. There have been instances in the past as well. For instance, a man in Maharashtra drove into a dam in 2021 after following the app’s directions, and two doctors died in Kerala after their car plunged into a river.
According to experts, with apps like Google Maps drawing their information from user data, satellite images, and government updates to update their maps, it’s just next to impossible to track every detail, especially in a country as massive as India, where most infrastructural changes are never accounted for.
Legal opinions are divided. Under India’s IT Act, Google Maps and other such platforms are intermediaries and are largely protected from liability. In case it is proved that the app has failed to update its data despite timely warnings, it will be held responsible for negligence.
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