Google street view car stopped for driving in bus lane

Google street view car stopped for driving in bus lane

Brad Sams on 05 April 2009 - 19:55 · 33 comments & 12078 views

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There are certain things you don't do in your car when your employer is paying you to drive around. One thing people may still do even if they are being paid to drive around is speed; maybe not excessively or on purpose but it happens.

If you are paid to drive around with a huge camera recording all your events attached to the roof of your car you should probably obey all traffic laws to the best of your ability. Not so is the case for one Google street view driver who got pulled over by the cops.

Below are a few pics of the incident, one must wonder if Google left the pics in for public shame or if they slipped by quality control. Either way, its results are quite amusing.

Update: It has been shown that the car driver was driving in a bus lane and that was the reason for the ticket, not a speeding ticket. The interwebs can now sleep soundly once again.

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#1 Windows7even on 06 Apr 2009 - 05:08

owned!

#2 Shunik Jan on 06 Apr 2009 - 05:09

Haha if he only recorded a high speed chase to put on Earth. They worked for a few seconds but I guess they took them off its just black lol

(3 replies) #3 s0nic69 on 06 Apr 2009 - 05:12

i think they let these pics go up because when people find them and post them up on blogs and forums, even in the local news channels, it gives google maps for press.

#3.1 Glendi on 06 Apr 2009 - 09:41

So Google is allowed to remove pics that makes its service look bad but not photos that make people look bad?

#3.2 Sam Symons Live on 06 Apr 2009 - 10:45

Glendi said,

So Google is allowed to remove pics that makes its service look bad but not photos that make people look bad?

Technically, yes.

#3.3 +dead.cell on 06 Apr 2009 - 14:15

There's a Report a Problem feature at the bottom of the map by the copyright, in which allows you to quite possibly remove the embarrassing picture of yourself.

Despite the laughs, I'm sure Google doesn't want a picture of you making an ass out of yourself either.

#4 Mango on 06 Apr 2009 - 05:53

A high speed chase would have been awesome.. with roadspikes. then a diversion through a corn field and down a small creek, followed by an entourage of 25 cop cars following behind OJ style, ending with a flipped upside down car with police behind their car doors with guns drawn while fire is ignited by the spilt gas on the highway.

#5 Sean2989 on 06 Apr 2009 - 06:07

Classic, just another gem to add to the saga of Google Maps!

#6 badblood on 06 Apr 2009 - 06:32

You would wonder at the mentality of some people. I've got a camera on my car, so I think I'll drive a little bit more recklessly as it's not my car. Still your licence though. Made me chuckle, police in the right place at the right time for once, but lets be honest, the huge camera probably got the attention first then the peeler was like "oh he's speeding too!"

#7 John Freeman on 06 Apr 2009 - 07:39

Thats, like, wtf? I can only assume he didnt notice some road sign, or something, as i dont have any other explanation. But anyway - hilarious.

(1 reply) #8 iascoot on 06 Apr 2009 - 07:40

how do we know it was for speeding?

#8.1 ]SK[ on 06 Apr 2009 - 07:46

Other sites suggest a no through road for cars. Only to be used by Taxi's and Buses.

#9 mediaman on 06 Apr 2009 - 07:51

This Neowin story is factually totally incorrect. It was NOTHING to do with speeding whatsoever, so where was speeding in the headline and story made up from?

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/07/30/cops-p...treet-view-car/

(1 reply) #10 MarcusJClifford on 06 Apr 2009 - 08:54

Notice how the blurring algorithm didn't blur the police car numebr plate?

#10.1 +dead.cell on 06 Apr 2009 - 14:24

Yeah, saw that myself and just reported it. Though I'm sure they're already aware.

#11 SCSmith on 06 Apr 2009 - 09:31

I love the way the road now shows where the goolge car had to pull over as the actual route.

#12 C++ on 06 Apr 2009 - 10:10

I'd do the same thing just to ask the cop "Do you know who I am?!" and watch his reaction.

#13 Rix on 06 Apr 2009 - 10:14

LOL

Bradford police don't catch nobody for speeding

#14 jturnbull on 06 Apr 2009 - 10:29

As others have said, this had nothing to do with speeding, but was for driving down a bus lane. You can see the whole story with map links here:

http://googlesightseeing.com/2009/03/19/st...view-car-chase/

#15 mmck on 06 Apr 2009 - 10:47

More photos

(3 replies) #16 leesmithg on 06 Apr 2009 - 11:35

Police do not need to get involved a ticketing cctv camera for that lane will pick up the licence plate and an automatic ticket will be sent out.

Typical Police, instead of cutting crime they add to it.

#16.1 +mrbester on 06 Apr 2009 - 12:43

Perhaps they got involved because not only was the car in the bus lane (normally ignored as CCTV will pick it up) but was travelling either really slowly or repeatedly stopping. Just doing that on a road, irrespective of if you're in a bus lane or not, will most likely get you pulled over for acting suspiciously. After all, if you're doing that in a road with jewellery shops etc., you could be casing the joints for a ram raid later...

#16.2 Doli on 06 Apr 2009 - 13:41

"Typical Police, instead of cutting crime they add to it."

...? Where does the "adding to it" begin in this situation?

#16.3 leesmithg on 08 Apr 2009 - 05:54

They add to it due to their actions. They had no need to stop the motor vehicle; If they were present in a high visible manner then some people would think twice about driving and using a cell phone at the same time, jumping red lights, not indicating, speeding on the highway rather that not speeding and being pulled over.

Thats what I am trying to get across. If they did their duties crime would be less.

(1 reply) #17 markjensen on 06 Apr 2009 - 12:53

[american]
They should have also issued a ticket for him driving on the wrong side of the road!!!11eleven
[/american]

#17.1 lee26 on 06 Apr 2009 - 15:05

He's not on the wrong side of the road.

#18 necrosis on 06 Apr 2009 - 12:59

Bus lane? Wha?

#19 Magallanes on 06 Apr 2009 - 13:52

lol, Google PWNED!

#20 C_Guy on 06 Apr 2009 - 15:04

"Do no evil" can include, apparently, driving illegally!

(1 reply) #21 lee26 on 06 Apr 2009 - 15:09

Why's the driver not being done for stopping in the yellow box?

Poor driving if you ask me.

#21.1 +mrbester on 06 Apr 2009 - 23:14

That's the back of the police station, where he's been told to stop. Poor picture analysis if you ask me...

#22 TRC on 06 Apr 2009 - 20:38

It's funny how you lose focus when doing jobs like this. A friend of mine worked delivering newspapers at 3AM and he finally got stopped one morning. He said the officer looked at him funny and asked what in the world he thought he was doing. I guess it being so late at night and with no traffic there in town, along with concentrating on the papers he had apparently been casually driving through red lights, turning down one way streets, etc. Turns out that traffic laws still apply even at three in the morning though, so he got his first ticket.

#23 Elite_graphix on 07 Apr 2009 - 17:31

Was stopped for driving in BUS LANE not for speeding... was given a warning on the spot and google driver carried on doing his job...

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Google street view car stopped for driving in bus lane

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