Confusion created by outdated GPS information, poor signage and a reconfigured intersection in Charlotte County, N.B., all contributed to a car crash that killed a Nova Scotia woman Monday, according to police.

Elizabeth Delores Isenor, 78, of Wallace, N.S., died at the scene near St. Andrews after the car in which she was a passenger didn't stop at the intersection of highways 170 and 127 and smashed into the back of a transport truck.

'There is a stop sign at this intersection, but it's not well indicated before. There's not enough warning.'— Audrey Soucy,RCMP investigator

That stretch of road used to be Highway 1 coming from St. Stephen, said RCMP investigator Audrey Soucy.

It now connects drivers to the new highway, but there is a stop sign and a ramp that drivers must navigate through first.

Isenor and her husband, who were returning from a trip to Florida, were travelling the old road and missed the stop sign, Soucy said.

The investigation indicates driver inattention was the major factor in the crash, Sgt. Bob McKnight said in a news release issued Thursday afternoon.

Missed stop sign

But the directions in the car's global position system device were also outdated and indicated the car was already on the highway, so the driver didn't expect the road to end at a stop sign, Soucy told CBC Wednesday.

"There is a stop sign at this intersection, but it's not well indicated before. There's not enough warning," she said.

Soucy said it's up to drivers to update their GPS systems when travelling, but in this case, the technology hasn't yet registered the new four-lane highway in the area.

Immediate steps might be taken to address the confusion, she said.

"We will be looking at talking with the Department of Transportation to have some kind of warning, or rumbling strip coming to the stop sign, advising people there is something coming right there," Soucy said.

Andrew Holland of the Department of Transportation said staff review signage and other traffic indicators after any major crash. They will meet with the coroner's office next week to review the case, he said.

The updated highway alignment maps were made available to the public and GPS manufacturers through Service New Brunswick in January 2009, he said.

There are also several warnings leading up to the intersection, said Holland. There is a sign advising motorists of an upcoming speed limit reduction to 60 km/h from 90 km/h, another sign posting the new speed limit, a sign advising of the upcoming intersection and a sign warning of a stop sign ahead.

There is also an overhead, red flashing light at the intersection, he said.

Still, even with those warnings, another vehicle ran the same stop sign in July 2009, resulting in minor injuries, Holland confirmed.

The woman's husband suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital. The truck driver wasn't hurt.