Photo: autoevolution
Blindly trusting a navigation app, be it Google Maps, Waze, or Apple Maps, is never a good idea, and unfortunately, some people end up figuring this out on their own.
Last year, for example, two Russians ended up in the middle of nowhere after following the directions provided by Google Maps. Their car got stuck in an area with no cellular signal, and given the brutally cold temperature during the night, one of them froze to death while the other ended up in hospital with severe injuries.
Other folks were a little bit luckier, and while they also followed navigation apps on roads that weren’t supposed to be used by cars, but rather by tractors or off-road vehicles, they were eventually saved by the local authorities.
This is why some people recommend against using navigation apps, while others advise drivers to always take any navigation instruction with caution.
The Colorado Department of Transportation, for example, as well as other county officials, tell local drivers to avoid using Google Maps, Waze, and the rest of the apps because they could end up on roads that don’t go anywhere.
And this has already happened several times, with a local media report indicating that several vehicles have already been stuck on roads where there weren’t supposed to be in the first place.
The Interstate 70 closure at Glenwood Canyon has caused a lot of confusion, and that’s why many drivers are turning to navigation apps to find a route to their destination.
“Don’t trust your cell phones, they are really getting people into trouble,” Amber Barrett, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, has been quoted as saying.
Trusting apps like Google Maps and Waze is a big issue, she said, though, in theory, all these solutions should be updated by map editors or volunteers with accurate data. But of course, no app is bulletproof, yet we wouldn’t go as far as not using these apps at all.
The better way to go is to never take anything these apps tell you for granted, and if you’re being sent on a road that doesn’t look like it’s made for your car, you’d better stay away from it.
Other folks were a little bit luckier, and while they also followed navigation apps on roads that weren’t supposed to be used by cars, but rather by tractors or off-road vehicles, they were eventually saved by the local authorities.
This is why some people recommend against using navigation apps, while others advise drivers to always take any navigation instruction with caution.
The Colorado Department of Transportation, for example, as well as other county officials, tell local drivers to avoid using Google Maps, Waze, and the rest of the apps because they could end up on roads that don’t go anywhere.
And this has already happened several times, with a local media report indicating that several vehicles have already been stuck on roads where there weren’t supposed to be in the first place.
The Interstate 70 closure at Glenwood Canyon has caused a lot of confusion, and that’s why many drivers are turning to navigation apps to find a route to their destination.
“Don’t trust your cell phones, they are really getting people into trouble,” Amber Barrett, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, has been quoted as saying.
Trusting apps like Google Maps and Waze is a big issue, she said, though, in theory, all these solutions should be updated by map editors or volunteers with accurate data. But of course, no app is bulletproof, yet we wouldn’t go as far as not using these apps at all.
The better way to go is to never take anything these apps tell you for granted, and if you’re being sent on a road that doesn’t look like it’s made for your car, you’d better stay away from it.
Google News