Subaru Outback bogged in sand after driver didn’t realise he was on a beach

9 News Gold Coast reports 30-year-old Queensland resident Chris Sharpe was returning home after a night of storm-chasing when he drove onto the sand on the Gold Coast’s Miami Beach at about 2am on September 6.

Mr Sharpe claims he was following the directions given to him by his Subaru Outback’s in-built satellite navigation system but didn’t realise he was driving on a beach, despite the wagon making significant tyre tracks in the sand.

According to the driver, he first became aware that he wasn’t on a paved road when the Outback went nose-first into a sand ditch, becoming stuck and unable to be moved.

Mr Sharpe reportedly waited with the car for six hours until a tow truck arrived to recover the outback – doing so by pulling it out of the sand with a strap around its tow bar, a method not usually recommended.

Despite the Gold Coast City Council initially issuing Mr Sharpe with a $770 fine for illegally parking on the beach, 9 News reporter Tyra Stowers says the local government will hold off on issuing financial penalties until it investigates why the Subaru Outback was able to drive onto the beach in the first place.

While Mr Sharpe was fortunate in this case to escape without injury and with a functional car, being distracted by a sat-nav system to the point where you can’t realise you’re not driving on a road is no laughing matter.

As far back as 2011, police and road safety officials have warned navigation systems can distract drivers from the road ahead, as well as putting motorists in danger due to relying on their screens rather than what they see in front of them.

If you doubt the directions being given to you by a navigation system, find a safe place to pull over and review the situation.