Driver told the arresting officer that he worked for Google and was scared to stop
https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/
by Chris Chilton
August 3, 2023 at 18:35
Google’s Street View mapping really is a modern wonder, allowing us to view environments on the other side of the country, or even the other side of the world, all from the comfort of our laptop or phone. And thanks to the crazy exploits of one of the company’s mapping drivers, we might soon be able to imagine just what it would be like to crash an old Honda HR-V into a creek in Indiana.
The second-gen HR-V met its watery end after the driver became embroiled in a high-speed chase with officers from Indiana’s Middletown Police Department. Cops had spotted the Honda flying past other cars close to a school, estimated that the camera-toting HR-V was traveling at over 100 mph (160 km/h), and began to chase it down.
Police caught up with the car, but the driver continued to speed for several miles, and although he did eventually slow down, he ran a red light before driving through a yard to avoid a closed bridge, which is where he lost control. The driver bellyflopped the HR-V into a creek, its camera equipment and “Google Street View” script on the rear clear for all the local wildlife to see.
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Related: Google Maps’ New Immersive View Is Like Street View But In The Sky
It’s not clear why the driver was speeding in the first place, but when he was hauled out of the Honda he told police he had been “scared to stop.” After a quick stop at the hospital he was arrested for Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle and sent to the Henry County Jail, where he remains in custody. That’s a felony charge so not something that can be easily brushed away, the Law and Crime website reporting that it is punishable by a prison term of between six months and 2.5 years.
Google explained to SFGATE that the Street View drivers are contracted by an independent company, but said it took the safety of its Google Maps operation very seriously and pledged to work “with the contracted company and local authorities to ensure the proper actions are taken to address this situation.”
Sadly, the blurry chase images and final creek shots are unlikely to ever make it to Street View. Here’s hoping Google puts together an album of outtakes for its 20th anniversary in 2027.