AI routing system directs Amazon delivery van onto dangerous mudflats in Essex
An Amazon Flex routing system directed a delivery driver in Essex onto The Broomway, a dangerous 600-year-old tidal mudflat path not intended for vehicles, causing the van to become stranded in mud and water. The driver escaped safely but the incident revealed gaps in algorithmic oversight and automation bias where the driver's supervisor deferred to the system despite physical danger.
What happened
An Amazon delivery driver in Essex, UK was routed by Amazon Flex, a proprietary AI-powered GPS routing system, onto The Broomway, an ancient unpaved tidal track across the Thames Estuary not intended for vehicles. The van became bogged down in deep mud and water on the mudflats with the tide rising, though the driver exited safely and a local farmer later recovered the vehicle.
Reported impact
The incident created a high-risk rescue situation, as The Broomway is known locally as extremely dangerous and has historically caused numerous drownings among people unfamiliar with its nature.
Index analysis
The routing system failed to account for the physical reality of The Broomway as a mudflat rather than a road, and did not integrate real-time tidal data or environmental hazards. When the driver questioned the route upon reaching the sea wall, her supervisor, who was also relying on the same digital interface, told her to proceed based on what the system indicated, exemplifying automation bias where humans defer to the AI's judgement despite obvious physical risk.
Governance controls
Amazon's reliance on independent Delivery Service Providers (DSPs) and classification of drivers as contractors creates a responsibility gap that allows the company to distance itself from logistical failures of the algorithms that dictate driver movements.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.