Cops in Melbourne, Australia clearly had an inkling that something like this would happen. That’s why it put up signs around the city telling people, “Don’t drive and Pokémon.”
Apparently out playing the global phenomenon that is Pokémon Go, one 19-year-old driver didn’t see the school that suddenly appeared in front of his vehicle, causing him to smash right into it.
The unnamed local man “was trying to capture a creature from the Pokémon Go application when he appears to have lost control,” the police said in a Facebook post.
Things began to go awry for the driver as he was negotiating a traffic circle. Negotiating a traffic circle with a smartphone stuck in front of his face. While playing Pokémon Go.
“He ran off the road, through a fence, and into a school portable building,” the cops said. There were no reports of injuries.
Aware that Pokémon Go fans would be keen to hear all the details relating to the unfortunate incident, the cops’ post continued, “The 19-year-old did not level up nor collect any stardust or candies only debris from the crash,” adding, “Any Pokéballs, eggs or potions the driver may have had remaining only attracted police, leaving the wild Pokémon for another day.”
The driver is expected to be charged with careless driving.
Pokémon Go, the new augmented-reality smartphone game that’s taken the mobile gaming world by storm since its release just a few weeks ago, is clearly a wonderful creation for getting people into the great outdoors again, but it’s also a game best played on foot rather than while driving a large piece of heavy machinery.
Aware of this fact, ride-hailing company Uber has messaged its vast fleet of drivers, warning them to look out for other drivers playing the game, as well as Pokémon Go pedestrians wandering distractedly into the road.
Not one to miss a money-making opportunity, the company is also encouraging its drivers to learn the location of nearby Pokéstops and gyms so they can go there in the hope of giving rides to players keen to head to the next hot spot.
