Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/KodaguConnect
Google Maps might be the world's number one mobile navigation app, but it doesn't mean it's always right.
Unfortunately, people keep learning this the hard way, sometimes ending up in the most unusual and dangerous places after following Google Maps' suggested routes.
Locals in the Kodagu district in Karnataka, India, are fed up with Google Maps sending drivers to the wrong route to end up on their roads, so they erected a dedicated sign to tell everybody that "Google Maps is wrong."
The road sign shared on X (formerly Twitter) this week tells motorists that "this road does not go to Club Mahindra." While we don't know the story behind the sign, I can assume that whoever erected the sign was annoyed by the hordes of drivers following Google Maps to find the so-called Club Mahindra.
The road sign has a clear goal: to tell motorists they're not following the right route, so they shouldn't use Google Maps to find the club.
Erecting a traffic sign to tell motorists not to trust sat-nav software is an approach others have used in several regions. Drivers have become dangerously addicted to Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze, trusting everything these apps say and following their directions blindly. In some cases, authorities had no option but to install signs to tell motorists to ignore Google Maps and follow the traffic signage as they drive to a popular destination.
It doesn't mean everybody follows these recommendations. Earlier this year, a dozen drivers returning from the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas used Google Maps to avoid the traffic jam on the interstate, eventually leaving the paved way for a route through the desert. While the suggested route had red flags all over the place, several drivers took Google Maps' advice and started driving on the desert path, hoping it'd lead somewhere.
It didn't, with the dozen drivers reaching the end of the path and struggling to return to the paved road. Several drivers damaged their cars, requiring towing once they returned to safety. Google later apologized for the mishap, removing the suggested route from Google Maps and no longer recommending the route through the desert.
Common sense is more important than what a navigation app says, and authorities tell drivers to always keep an eye on traffic signage. If a suggested route looks dangerous, especially if it tells you to leave the paved road, you shouldn't take it, as you could end up in the middle of nowhere with nobody around to help you. Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps are fantastic apps, but the smallest error in their routing engine or a map inaccuracy could make them suggest routes that you wouldn't otherwise follow if you paid attention to traffic signs.
Locals in the Kodagu district in Karnataka, India, are fed up with Google Maps sending drivers to the wrong route to end up on their roads, so they erected a dedicated sign to tell everybody that "Google Maps is wrong."
The road sign shared on X (formerly Twitter) this week tells motorists that "this road does not go to Club Mahindra." While we don't know the story behind the sign, I can assume that whoever erected the sign was annoyed by the hordes of drivers following Google Maps to find the so-called Club Mahindra.
The road sign has a clear goal: to tell motorists they're not following the right route, so they shouldn't use Google Maps to find the club.
Erecting a traffic sign to tell motorists not to trust sat-nav software is an approach others have used in several regions. Drivers have become dangerously addicted to Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze, trusting everything these apps say and following their directions blindly. In some cases, authorities had no option but to install signs to tell motorists to ignore Google Maps and follow the traffic signage as they drive to a popular destination.
It doesn't mean everybody follows these recommendations. Earlier this year, a dozen drivers returning from the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas used Google Maps to avoid the traffic jam on the interstate, eventually leaving the paved way for a route through the desert. While the suggested route had red flags all over the place, several drivers took Google Maps' advice and started driving on the desert path, hoping it'd lead somewhere.
It didn't, with the dozen drivers reaching the end of the path and struggling to return to the paved road. Several drivers damaged their cars, requiring towing once they returned to safety. Google later apologized for the mishap, removing the suggested route from Google Maps and no longer recommending the route through the desert.
Common sense is more important than what a navigation app says, and authorities tell drivers to always keep an eye on traffic signage. If a suggested route looks dangerous, especially if it tells you to leave the paved road, you shouldn't take it, as you could end up in the middle of nowhere with nobody around to help you. Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps are fantastic apps, but the smallest error in their routing engine or a map inaccuracy could make them suggest routes that you wouldn't otherwise follow if you paid attention to traffic signs.
Somewhere in Kodagu. @GoogleIndia pic.twitter.com/IkSQ9VybW1
— Kodagu Connect (@KodaguConnect) March 14, 2024
Google News