A Belgian woman ended up in Croatia after a GPS error took her far off course…
A woman’s disappearance sparked a missing person report after a GPS glitch caused what should have been a short drive to turn into a 900-mile detour across Europe.
Nowadays, it is almost impossible to get truly lost, with navigation apps and live traffic updates always at our fingertips.
Yet, even with all this technology, a simple mistake paired with faulty directions can create an unexpected and bewildering journey, as one Belgian woman recently experienced.
Sabine Moreau discovered this firsthand when her short trip turned into an odyssey spanning multiple countries.
Moreau had planned to leave her home in Hainault Erquelinnes and head to Gare du Nord in Brussels to pick up a friend. The route was straightforward, covering less than 90 miles and taking around two hours.
Instead, the 67-year-old’s drive turned into a two-day ordeal. A GPS malfunction sent her through five international borders, ultimately leading her to Zagreb, Croatia, nearly 900 miles from her intended destination.
Completely unaware of her error, Moreau continued driving, crossing country after country before realizing her mistake.
GPS isn’t always the most reliable
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During her unintended adventure, Moreau stopped twice to refuel and took breaks to sleep in her car on the roadside, according to reports from local media.
Reflecting on the bizarre experience, she explained her thoughts to El Mundo: “I was distracted, so I kept on the accelerator.”
She added: “I saw all kinds of signs, first in French, then in German and finally in Croatian, but I kept driving because I was distracted.”
Back home, her friend had managed to return safely without the ride, but Moreau’s prolonged absence led her son to file a missing person report.
Police eventually tracked her down and discovered the reason behind her disappearance.
Moreau confessed she only realized she had gone astray when she reached Zagreb.
She shared: “Until I suddenly appeared in Zagreb and then it dawned on me that I was no longer in Belgium.”
She kept driving despite noticing road signs in different languages
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Moreau admitted: “I admit it’s a bit strange, but I was distracted.”
The strange story quickly gained attention on Reddit, where users expressed shock at how long it took her to notice the mistake.
One person commented: “I don’t understand how someone could be so distracted that they don’t notice a two hour drive turned into a two day drive.”
Another user wrote: “I shudder to think I share the road with these people,”
A third added: “I really wonder how the hell they get their licenses in the first place.”
Other commenters pointed out Belgium’s relatively recent adoption of stricter driving standards, as the country only made a driving test mandatory in 1977.
Some noted this could explain the lack of awareness. One user speculated: “So it’s quite possible the older drivers you encounter never had to take one,”
Meanwhile, others shared their own mishaps involving GPS errors, though most agreed their detours didn’t compare to Moreau’s two-day, cross-continental journey.