googlecar_02Last week on September 14, Jakarta’s police managed to catch up with an AWOL fender-bender felon. This particular culprit was a bit too high profile to fly under the radar for long, especially considering the panoramic mapping equipment attached to his car!


Always eager to bring users up-to-date and detailed information, Google’s fleet of Street View cars have become a familiar sight on city avenues across the globe. Unfortunately, one such surveyor had a major bout of bad luck and poor judgement on the Indonesian turnpike.

Reports say that while collecting roadside data in Bogor City, a suburb of Jakarta, the Google vehicle accidentally rear-ended a minivan. Not yet resigned to his life on the lamb, the worker tried to atone for his mistake by accompanying the damaged van and its owner to an auto repair shop. Unexpectedly, the driver then made a break for it, leaving the smashed-up jalopy behind. The perpetrator later gave a statement explaining that he tried to run away out of fear of the high repair costs incurred by the collision.

He must have been remiss in his driver’s training however, as during the man’s mad-dash for freedom, he ran into yet another minivan! Undaunted, he again decided to drive off without answering for his crime. The accident-prone motorist finally resigned himself to his fate after hitting a third and final truck. He let himself be taken in for police questioning and an investigation shortly thereafter.

This may be a good lesson for those of us too dependent on Google’s GPS feature. Use extreme caution when checking your map app because you never know when a rogue Street View car may come barreling down the road and total your ride.

Source: Jin115
Additional source: AFP BBNews