A South Yorkshire motorist was charged with careless driving after he nearly followed his sat nav over the edge of a cliff.
Robert Jones, 43, from Doncaster, followed the device as he headed for a friend's house even when it began taking him up a steep, rocky footpath.
He finally realised something was seriously wrong when his BMW hit a fence just inches from a 100ft drop, reports the Daily Mirror.
Mr Jones said: "I just trusted the sat nav. It kept insisting that the path was a road even as it was getting narrower and steeper.
"I rely on my sat nav, I couldn't do without it for my job. I guess I'm lucky the car didn't slip all the way over the edge. But it has been a bit of a nightmare."
It took nine hours for a recovery team to haul the BMW away from the cliff edge in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
The rescue operation attracted a large crowd of astonished locals.
One said: "It's all well and good trusting your sat nav but how about trusting your eyes and when there's not a road in front of you, don't keep driving."
Police confirmed Mr Jones had been charged. A spokesman said: "Nobody was hurt. But when someone nearly drives off a cliff that shows a lack of care which needs to be investigated."
Story filed: 09:51 Wednesday 25th March 2009 -->
Robert Jones, 43, from Doncaster, followed the device as he headed for a friend's house even when it began taking him up a steep, rocky footpath.
He finally realised something was seriously wrong when his BMW hit a fence just inches from a 100ft drop, reports the Daily Mirror.
Mr Jones said: "I just trusted the sat nav. It kept insisting that the path was a road even as it was getting narrower and steeper.
"I rely on my sat nav, I couldn't do without it for my job. I guess I'm lucky the car didn't slip all the way over the edge. But it has been a bit of a nightmare."
It took nine hours for a recovery team to haul the BMW away from the cliff edge in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
The rescue operation attracted a large crowd of astonished locals.
One said: "It's all well and good trusting your sat nav but how about trusting your eyes and when there's not a road in front of you, don't keep driving."
Police confirmed Mr Jones had been charged. A spokesman said: "Nobody was hurt. But when someone nearly drives off a cliff that shows a lack of care which needs to be investigated."
Story filed: 09:51 Wednesday 25th March 2009 -->
