Google Maps has become the go-to navigation app for most people around the globe. It has hundreds of millions of monthly users and it’s alarming to learn that it’s been sending people to potentially life-threatening routes.
Twitter user @pyrogeog has just pointed out how Google Maps is recommending dangerous routes in California, US. The recommended route between Sacramento, California, and Reno, Nevada was apparently a poorly maintained forest road during a severe blizzard, but Google Maps had no measures to warn against it.
The Twitter user called Google Maps an abject failure for it.
https://twitter.com/pyrogeog/status/1475620399463292928
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that five to nine feet of snow has fallen in the area over the last week and the situation is not expected to change anytime soon. Thankfully, there were no verified reports of incidents in that area, but it’s still deeply concerning how Google is recommending these sorts of routes.
Another Twitter user warned that the Android version of Google Maps is not reporting road closures properly.
Needless to say, tech innovations are not foolproof measures for travel or navigation in extreme weather situations. It is advisable to use multiple sources in such cases.
