A cattle grid in Minehead is causing chaos and sending modern cars crashing off the road - as the sensors mistake it for a wall, writes Jonathan Coles.
Motorists have been sent into a spin by the technology quirk - which has cost the local £70,000 to fix.
Somerset County Council has spent the sum "ironing out the problem", which experts say wouldn't have been considered when the grid was built.
It is thought that the modern car sensors confuse the grid, on Hill Road in Minehead with an obstruction.
This is because it is cut into the steep hill at a "reasonably level" angle, causing a steep change in gradient.
The brakes are then automatically activated on newer vehicles which become confused - sending some drivers careering off the road.
A spokesman for the council said the grid had to be replaced following a "number of incidents of cars leaving the road" but "there have been no serious collisions".
£70,000 has been spent raising around 90ft (27.4m) of road and redesigning the approaches, which it is hoped will solve the problem.
Experts say assist brake technology has been around since the 1980s but is still flawed.
Professor Andrew Graves, automotive analyst at the University of Bath, told the BBC that modern cars are "still not perfect".
He added: "If you're following something too closely or if there's a barrier in front of you, suddenly the car will apply its brakes."
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