SUV ends up in bike lane due to blind faith in Waze

PETALING JAYA: A driver did not think that he would be led astray when he put his faith in Waze to guide him to his destination.

The 53-year-old was on his way from his office in Jalan Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, to a car service centre in Shah Alam on Tuesday at around 2.30pm and was surprised to find himself driving on the motorcycle lane of the busy Federal Highway.

The presence of his large sports utility vehicle naturally annoyed the motorcyclists as they wondered how he ended up on their lane.

A police report was lodged on the incident and it was later revealed that the confusion could have been avoided if the man had set the navigation application properly.

“He was using Waze to get to his destination but because it was set to motorcycle mode, he ended up on the motorcycle lane,” said Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal.

He said the driver later realised his mistake and tried desperately to exit the motorcycle lane, and was able to do so with the help of motorcyclists there.

Tests also confirmed that the driver was not intoxicated then.

He has been released and investigation into the incident, under Section 79 of the Road Transport Act 1988 for neglecting traffic directions and signs, has been passed to the deputy public prosecutor for further action.

A video of the incident went viral on social media on Wednesday and the driver was called in for questioning at 5pm the same day.

Separately, two women, both aged 25, were arrested in Kelana Jaya here after drugs were found in their car when police stopped them at around 5pm on Wednesday in Jalan SS5A/9.

“Police found a packet near the handbrake containing what is believed to be ganja weighing about 125g,” ACP Nik Ezanee said.

One of the women later confessed to planting ganja at her home in the area and police were led to search the place.

There, police found four plants believed to be ganja planted in black plastic bottles.

“They have been remanded for seven days and further investigations will be conducted to see if they are linked to any drug trafficking activities in Petaling Jaya,” ACP Nik Ezanee said.