A group of Los Angeles residents returning home from Las Vegas were left stranded in the desert after Google Maps reportedly took them on an off-road adventure to avoid traffic caused by a dust storm.
The bumpy journey for Shelby Easler, her brother and their loved ones began Sunday when Easler said the navigation system recommended they take a faster off-road route instead of Interstate 15, which was experiencing delays due to the storm.
But the Californians ended up stuck on the dirt road and had to call a tow truck to pick them up, according to a report.
“Ironically, we thought it would be a safer option and he said it would be 50 minutes faster,” Easler messaged SFGATE via Instagram.
“It was our first time driving to/from Las Vegas, so we didn’t know that you can actually only take I-15 there and back.”
In a Tiktok video posted by Easler this week, it showed a line of cars fighting the rough road with no paved roads in sight.
Google Maps reportedly took Los Angeles residents on an off-road trip to avoid traffic caused by a dust storm.justdoingshelbythings/TikTok
A photo of the navigation appeared to show them traversing a road with terrain.
“The first driver who turned around spoke to us to tell us that the road is washing away as you go up the mountain, and that we have to turn around because the road leads nowhere,” he told the outlet. “He was in a huge truck and he was driving straight through the bushes and bushes so people would know that he should turn around.”
The group called for help, but the California Highway Patrol was unable to respond because it was dealing with the dust storm emergency, according to a TikTok video.
Authorities had to close Interstate 15 in both directions at the California-Nevada border as a result of the stormy conditions, SFGate reported.
The trip began Sunday when the navigation system recommended the group take a faster, alternate route instead of Interstate 15.justdoingshelbythings/TikTok
Finally, Easler and company called a tow truck that rescued them, although they were trapped, leaving the car in Las Vegas with considerable damage.
“In the future,” he told SFGate, “I’ll stick to the path I know and double-check elsewhere if the route seems incomplete.”
Googled confirmed to The Post that it was investigating.
“During unpredictable conditions, we work as quickly as possible to update routes based on information from local authorities and sudden changes in driving patterns. “We are investigating the issue that occurred over the weekend and can confirm that we are directing drivers across Interstate 15 since it reopened,” a Google spokesperson said.
This photo of the navigation map shows the group traversing a road with terrain. justdoingshelbythings/TikTok
This is not the first case in which a navigation system causes problems for users.
A hiker had to be rescued by helicopter this month when he used Google Maps to get directions while trying to reach the top of a mountain in Vancouver, Canada.
In a lawsuit against Google in September, the family of a North Carolina man who died after falling from a collapsed bridge blamed the tech giant for the death, saying their loved one was following directions on Google Maps.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn