Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
Google Maps is a fantastic tool for people who want to drive to an unfamiliar location, but it can also become the opposite due to the smallest error in the routing engine.
It happened earlier this month when Google Maps took a bunch of drivers returning from the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
Due to a sandstorm hitting Interstate 15, the navigation app suggested an alternate route, eventually sending more than a dozen drivers to a backroad through the middle of the desert. The vehicles struggled with the remote trails, eventually deciding to return to the interstate after realizing they weren't going anywhere.
Some of the vehicles needed repairs after the ad-hoc off-roading, with a towing company called in to recover and get them back to Las Vegas.
The drivers sent by Google Maps on the desert trail called 911 but were told that the police were busy dealing with the interstate traffic. They eventually turned around and drove as slowly as 2 mph to get back on the tarmac, while others waited for the towing company to arrive and save their vehicles.
In a recent statement, Google spokesperson Genevieve Park explains that Google Maps has already been updated to no longer "route drivers traveling between Las Vegas and Los Angeles down these narrow backroads off Interstate 15 near the California-Nevada border." The spokesperson says the company is sorry for the blunder, and thanks to the update, Google Maps should only recommend the interstate for people traveling in the region.
It's not the first time a Google Maps error has taken drivers off the paved road and sent them on a dangerous route. Three years ago, two Russian drivers following Google Maps' turn-by-turn navigation left the highway and entered an abandoned road, eventually getting stuck in an area without a cellular signal. Google Maps suggested the route as a faster alternative to the main road without knowing that the road was closed due to bad weather conditions.
The two men were forced to sleep in the car for several nights and deal with the harsh Siberian weather. The driver eventually froze to death, while the passenger was found several days later by the emergency teams.
Google Maps can, therefore, become a double-edged sword. The application can indeed improve the experience behind the wheel, finding faster routes and making every journey more predictable, but it can also go wrong and suggest dangerous routes due to errors in its routing system. The best thing you can do is to pay attention to the road and refuse an alternative route if it looks dangerous. Sticking with a paved road can eventually pay off, even if it means you might arrive at your destination a few minutes later.
Due to a sandstorm hitting Interstate 15, the navigation app suggested an alternate route, eventually sending more than a dozen drivers to a backroad through the middle of the desert. The vehicles struggled with the remote trails, eventually deciding to return to the interstate after realizing they weren't going anywhere.
Some of the vehicles needed repairs after the ad-hoc off-roading, with a towing company called in to recover and get them back to Las Vegas.
The drivers sent by Google Maps on the desert trail called 911 but were told that the police were busy dealing with the interstate traffic. They eventually turned around and drove as slowly as 2 mph to get back on the tarmac, while others waited for the towing company to arrive and save their vehicles.
In a recent statement, Google spokesperson Genevieve Park explains that Google Maps has already been updated to no longer "route drivers traveling between Las Vegas and Los Angeles down these narrow backroads off Interstate 15 near the California-Nevada border." The spokesperson says the company is sorry for the blunder, and thanks to the update, Google Maps should only recommend the interstate for people traveling in the region.
It's not the first time a Google Maps error has taken drivers off the paved road and sent them on a dangerous route. Three years ago, two Russian drivers following Google Maps' turn-by-turn navigation left the highway and entered an abandoned road, eventually getting stuck in an area without a cellular signal. Google Maps suggested the route as a faster alternative to the main road without knowing that the road was closed due to bad weather conditions.
The two men were forced to sleep in the car for several nights and deal with the harsh Siberian weather. The driver eventually froze to death, while the passenger was found several days later by the emergency teams.
Google Maps can, therefore, become a double-edged sword. The application can indeed improve the experience behind the wheel, finding faster routes and making every journey more predictable, but it can also go wrong and suggest dangerous routes due to errors in its routing system. The best thing you can do is to pay attention to the road and refuse an alternative route if it looks dangerous. Sticking with a paved road can eventually pay off, even if it means you might arrive at your destination a few minutes later.
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