How Google Maps Sent 2 Teens Into a Death Trap, Only 1 Survived

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You pick up your phone, set a destination, and press start. Instantly, you get the shortest path,
and without thinking about it, you follow. GPS navigation is practical, but is it always reliable? Many of us use Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze to get around, but for a mother it was too late before she knew it when she got stranded in a national park with no way back after following GPS into a remote path that became a death trap. Let’s get into it!
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Sources:
[Alicia and Carlos Sanchez in Death Valley National Park]
www.reviewjournal.com/news/bo...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org...
www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32340356
[How Does Satellite Navigation and GPS Technology Work?]
www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo...
• Example of Doppler Shi...
www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measu...
ttps://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sat/gps.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satelli...
www.techradar.com/news/car-te...
[Google Maps Causing Russian Teens to be Stranded on Road of Bones]
www.news.com.au/lifestyle/rea...
www.thesun.co.uk/news/1343839...
www.india.com/technology/goog...
[How Do Maps Calculate Shortest Path to Destination]
www.freecodecamp.org/news/dij...
www.educative.io/edpresso/wha...
theory.stanford.edu/~amitp/Gam...
[Following GPS Directions Lead to Left Turn Accident]
www.nj.com/news/2010/05/drive...
[Other Sources]
wikimapia.org
openstreetmaps.org
• Animation of (continuo...
• Video
• The Multi-GNSS Space S...
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[@belagu4517]

Ok

[@noone2131]

HELLO MY LITTLE FREIND 😇

[@notbluskra]

bro

[@popcornpizza8869]

Ok

[@aikou2886]

Just when I needed a VPN and was recommended this one.

[@raquele6470]

I could not imagine that mother having to continue to fight for her life with her sons body nearby. Absolutely heartbreaking.

[@V00doo1Xim]

what does heartbreaking mean?

[@breannawatson6281]

@@V00doo1Xim it is a feeling. It is like extreme sadness. It feels like someone ripped out your heart and broke it

[@Kittsuera]

they prob both fainted from the heat exhaustion so maybe she didn't know. prob only survived because the larger body had more water in it.

[@veruschkadahmer1805]

Honestly she totally messed up things. She was the grown adult responsible for her kid and her dog. She acted like a fool. Then she just let the old tire on the road, ok it saved her life but it's not an outdoor garbage bin out there, B !!

[@epicshibexd5049]

@@veruschkadahmer1805 where else would she have put it? it's just dead weight and takes up space in the car

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

If you're unfamiliar with the area, don't ever let your GPS steer you onto a dirt road as a 'shortcut'. Stick to the major roads. A good rule is that if the road starts getting rough, turn around and find an alternate route.

[@Youtubing5999]

Yep even if you are in a off road vehicle. Turn around!!

[@liamcollinson5695]

I agree be careful even when you are walking I have lost count of the amount of times I have almost been directed into a motorway 🛣️ or a area with no paths

[@Dee_Just_Dee]

I've had Google Maps tell me to make illegal left turns as recently as 2012. I'm sure it has gotten better since then, but heck yeah, for crying out loud, lay a ground plan first, and then only use GPS to keep yourself on course. Nav apps' recommended routes are only really all that good in dense urban areas where traffic is a major factor. When you're out in the boonies, stick to the major roads.

[@josephoberlander]

Interestingly there is no "take major streets and highways only" option in any of them. I have to repeatedly tell Google that it has entrances wrong or ignore it entirely as it's trying to save me a teaspoon of fuel over what's 10x less stressful. Waze is no better as it uses the same back-end database as Google now. Garmin is slightly less inept, but it also will blithely ruin you down roads in the desert to save you "5 minutes".

[@critterwhisperer5821]

Waze let's you opt out of dirt roads

[@theoneandonlyguyallikian1190]

For those who have never driven through death valley, it's intense. Unless you stay on the main highways, things get alarming quick. I went on a road trip with 4 friends of mine, and there was a "shorter route" we could take that was off of the main roads. We drove for over three hours without seeing one sign of life in front or behind us. None of our cell phones got any reception either (albeit this was like 2004) Nothing happened to us, But we were well aware of how much DEADLY trouble we would suddenly be in if the car broke down or got a flat tire or something. It was unnerving

[@fugf1623]

Domes dudes would rather risk their life than arrive 3 or more hours later, you’d desserve the outcome if it happened

[@srulers]

@@fugf1623if you’re this quick to such a dismissive judgement then you deserve every bad thing that’ll ever happen to you…

[@leisti]

@@fugf1623 That's such an American thing to say. If anything bad happens to you, it's nobody's fault but your own for not taking into account all the possible failure modes that might occur.

[@robertshiell887]

In that kind of country(desert) I would probably make sure that I had three days of water and electrolytes before I ever left the main road.

[@fugf1623]

@@srulers There is no such things as dismissive judgment on this case. You’ll litteraly driving on a route known to be dangerous and YOU WILLINGLY choose to use an alternative path to gain a few hours ? That’s just natural selection

[@billyd78]

I have a friend who recently used google maps to travel and it inexplicably put him on some side country road, claiming a detour over a road closure (the road was not closed). He was unfamiliar with the road and it was 55mph through farmland. Long story short there was a stop sign that was poorly located around a bend and he saw it too late. He slammed on his brakes and entered the intersection doing about 10-20mph. A car coming from the other direction struck his vehicle, and both people in that car died. My friend is now facing two misdemeanor death by motor vehicle charges. All because he followed google maps to a place he never would have gone to begin with. Just to tell you how bad that intersection is, the deceased family admitted they have run that stop sign by mistake as well. Thanks google maps.

[@viridiantheforest1037]

I'm very sorry for your friend and that family

[@nr1785]

Google maps need to start being held accountable for all the dangerous and deadly situations they have caused.

[@jasonmultin4781]

It doesn't seem like it is your friend's fault or the GPS's fault. It seems that the person who erected the stop sign is at fault. They shouldn't have placed it in a spot that is hard to see from a distance due to a bend in the road. Perhaps there should have been another sign warning of a stop sign ahead.

[@KeyUSeeCZ]

@@nr1785 They could be, but only if they didn’t automatically update their system if ERROR was found. Local Administrations need to update their map data into a system which is then transported to google. If someone forgot to put the data there, its not a Googles fault, but the administration. In Russias case, it was a working road that got closed, but probably unannounced. Russian App Team only knew it because they got the information from somewhere else or simply used new road data and scrapped all old roads.

[@Maximara]

@@jasonmultin4781 Here in the US there are a host of *federal* rules regarding the placement of signs. Section 2B.06 STOP Sign Placement clearly states "The STOP sign shall be installed on the right side of the approach to which it applies. When the STOP sign is installed at this required location and _the sign visibility is restricted_ , a *Stop Ahead sign (see Section 2C.29) shall be installed in advance of the STOP sign* ."

[@kariduanimations]

A slightly lighthearted story, but one time me and my roommate were driving in an unfamiliar area (somewhere outside Sydney, Australia) and google maps told us to take a small backroad. It looked fine and it was paved and everything, and it was significantly shorter than the alternative route. Only our plans were thwarted, because shortly after turning onto that road we came to a tractor, and it was moving really really slowly in front of us. We couldn’t turn around either because the road was too narrow and there was a metal fence on one side and a steep hill on the other. We literally just had to slowly drive behind this tractor for almost the entire length of the road, and it took about an hour.

[@rarelycold6618]

That's how we keep city types out of rural areas ;)

[@GuyOnHypixel]

@ Rarelycold YOU WILL NOT KEEP US OUT!

[@chihuahuasarecool7880]

@@rarelycold6618 Hey, if they got through they probably deserved to get in anyway.

[@DLI002]

U couldn't reverse outta there?

[@sallylemon5835]

Omg

[@acatnamedm4529]

There's also been cases where someone follows their GPS into flooded underpasses and drowned. It was night, they were unfamiliar with the area & the water rose really fast. Locals kinda know where to stay clear of when it starts raining hard, but it's hard to navigate at night when visibility is already terrible.

[@downhomesunset]

That happened in Vegas recently?

[@mitismee]

@@downhomesunset lol that's the entire city flooding 🤣

[@shinqqing5161]

Tbh I wouldn't really put the blame on the GPS. You said the locals know where to stay clear during heavy rain means that it wasn't the first time the flood happened. If that's the case why didn't the local authorities fix it? I mean let's be real, at the very very least they could just put up a warning sign or even put up a roadblock when the weather report says it will rain heavily.

[@laemisavod1227]

@@shinqqing5161 near me, there is a short section of road which dips down and then back up. It floods when it even begins to rain, but no road blocks are put up. Thankfully it never floods super badly, certainly not enough for someone to drown in, but I could definitely see someone getting stuck down there during a storm in the dark, if they didn’t know to avoid it.

[@Tangentbordsblues]

Then they drive too fast!

[@kaykepop4084]

I remember in the early 2000s my husband and I had just purchased our first GPS, a Garmin. We had just moved to a new state and relied on it to get around. One evening we were being directed and I had a gut feeling to tell my husband to drive really slow. After about 10 minutes telling him that he made a sudden stop because the GPS had directed us head on to a rivers edge. We were literally about to drive into a river. There was nothing to warn us this was ahead, the road ended straight into the water and the GPS did not show any water on its map. Had my husband kept driving at the regular speed we would have probably died that night. Needless to say after that we no longer trust GPS and always research our trip before navigating to our destination.

[@leisti]

Good for you for not blindly doing what the computer tells you to do.

[@YFZriderdude15]

I believe you're going to encounter far fewer of these situations now. Comparing technology at its infancy to that same technology 20 years later is comparing apples and oranges.

[@TMeyer-ge5pj]

Why would a road be made like that ?

[@nikostalk5730]

@@leisti that could sound rude, but, maps (back in time) were printed on paper, still you RELY ON PAPER in front of you???

[@leisti]

@@nikostalk5730 If I were following a road based on the markings on a paper map, and noticed that the road ahead was dipping beneath the surface of a lake, I would like to think that I'd have stopped relying on the map.

[@mzz..q23]

This reminds me of an episode of the office where Micheal’s GPS tells him to take a right into a lake and he just drives right into the lake

[@sofia7374]

“I drove my car into a FU**ING lake!” 🤣🤣

[@MrGilang100]

Just a tip, if your maps leads you away from national roads or highway, or if you just not sure about the road, ask the locals. They will often warns you if the road is dangerous and sometimes even suggesting you better route. Its advisable to stop at nearest rest area or local shops before entering remote routes.

[@chilibeer3912]

You don’t want to go down that road

[@justjojo1666]

@@chilibeer3912 what happens if you do?

[@Defnotabsdfan]

@@justjojo1666 💀

[@hallowchromee8977]

@@justjojo1666 died

[@Maximara]

Even national roads and highways aren't exactly safe. I was on US Route 50 between Ely, NV and Delta, UT with plenty of gas, some water bottles, and a small cooler and my car died. Turned out the alternator (a replacement not even a month old) had a defective diode and had run the battery down. This was back in the 90s so I was lucky somebody came down that road (I had no cell phone).

[@seatbelttruck]

My uncle put up a sign outside of our family farm that says "your GPS is wrong" because he kept getting strangers following faulty GPS directions and ending up there. I've also been in the car when a GPS directed the wrong way down one-way streets or down non-existent roads. They're useful, but you have to apply some critical thinking when using them, because they are AI with an emphasis on the A.

[@peterf.229]

it’s not just gps , the AZ dept of failure i mean transportation has a sign that pointed down the road i live off of that has an exit with an interstate with the gas sign / food pointing towards where i live i had 3 idiots one month telling me that i was wrong there HAD to be a gas station ….

[@cheesebread5eva]

Yeah where I live my gps always tells me to turn right off of at this one instersection, but it’s a pair of two, two lane highways that merge together after the light, with a cement partition separating the two roads before the light so you can not turn right if you are on the left side road since there’s no way to get to the far right lane

[@kimlindner4033]

Yup a guy a used to buy rabbits from out in the country had that issue the gps took you to his next door neighbors field the road to it was one lane curvy and tightly ringed by trees so you couldn't see that the properties used to be one and a road led all the way through the field it doesn't now. Google maps also sends you either across the street or down the road from out house. Google maps can't even find my friends it sends them around 2 miles away to a field.

[@alex_zetsu]

Also if you try to go to Mount Rushmore you'll often get it wrong. "Mount Rushmore National Memorial" goes to the right place but "Mt Rushmore" or "Mt Rushmore SD" has 34 places. One of them is in the same ZIP code as the actual Mount Rushmore and confused tourists keep going to a camp owned by the Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church. So someone placed a sign saying "your GPS is wrong" and a worked joked if someone still refused to believe their GPS was wrong, he'd make a replica and then tell the next confused tourist that "you thought it would be a lot bigger didn't you?"

[@Thediydog]

I live in a neighborhood that’s still being built. GPS still doesn’t know where my house is. It sends people to the next neighborhood over, which was just finished.

[@misLatoya1]

I remember once going on a hike in the south of Portugal. A friend and I were dropped off 10 km away from my parent's home and we had to walk back. It was supposed to be a 3 hour hike, but it ended up being a 6 hour hike, because Maps send us right through a private property with bad roads. We were terrified, because we couldn't find the way, walked into dead ends like fences, bushes and ravines and we didn't have cell service. I now know to just go look for official hiking trails, but it was a weird and scary experience

[@JV-pu8kx]

Especially when traveling in unfamiliar territory, you should review the entire route before setting out. Turn on the satellite imagery and make sure what kind if roads you are likely to be traveling over, and to get a sense of what the traffic is like. Google once showed me a route that included ten miles of state-maintained gravel roads. And this was in a built-up area with lots of new subdivisions. Important to know depending on what type of vehicle you are in, what your task is.

[@history-jovian]

And update your funking map. Cause Google map only updates a year doesn't mean that road is fine.

[@BansheeN0rn]

Not to mention they dont update at all because lots of stores disappear but they dont tell you

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Sometimes it's even worse than that. In one corner here they needed multiple years to align satellite images and map data. Imagine going where the GPS tells you, but the road doesn't exist, but instead there re 3 in a completely different layout.

[@JV-pu8kx]

@@history-jovian Google Maps update constantly! Partly because they accept input from their users. It's something I enjoy doing: making sure POI's are in the right places, one-way streets are flowing in the right direction, road beds are layed down correctly, houses are addressed correctly, etc.

[@lilyadelyne]

My husband and I have relied on GPS to take us on long road trips. There have been several occasions where we would 'nope' out of a tiny road in the middle of nowhere when we requested a gas station from the GPS. It's gotten to the point that we only stop at gas stations along the highways because we've seen too many scary movies. I remember one time it told us the gas station was up ahead and all that was around us was miles of corn. Freaky!

[@downhomesunset]

Children of the Corn vibes?

[@TrulyAJ]

I like corn!!!!!!!!

[@darthvader0219]

The GPS once sent me to an old man’s drive way. I’m lucky he didn’t have a shot gun

[@kelvinjanssen7889]

@@darthvader0219 Git off mah lawn!

[@zombies.in.space.]

it’s giving kidnapped in indiana

[@random_dragon]

Even just the beginning of the story has me stressed out- Death Valley is incredibly scary, and if you go off the path you're basically guaranteed to get in serious trouble

[@collinbeal]

Yeah I wouldn't even drive through it personally, let alone sightsee.

[@kayleigh3648]

Right?!!? I’ve been there a few times passing through to get gas or whatnot, and when u walk outside your skin feels like it’s burning and boiling immediately 🥵!! I was amazed they lived for a couple days, cuz I feel like death after 2-3min lol. It’s sad tho, cuz if you’ve ever been somewhere that hot, u actually have an idea of the pain and misery they endured and let me tell you... It’s gotta be the worst way to go! Those poor souls 😪🙏

[@ArgStyleRlz]

@@kayleigh3648 what's the temp at night?, maybe walking back during the night could've save their life?

[@ilovericecakes]

@@ArgStyleRlz still high 90s to low 100s lol

[@the_mowron]

@@collinbeal Death Valley is a very interesting place and there is definitely no need to avoid visiting. There is also no need to drive off the normal roads. The weather is quite pleasant if you visit in the spring or fall.

[@melody5296]

I remember seeing someone's story about their GPS taking them into a path that's literally a hiking trail. Some roads are in better condition, and some are worse. Yet Google continues to take people on the shorter route, unaware that the road is in worse condition. That's why I always search up what the entire route is like before going on a trip.

[@Laura76393]

My parents went through Death Valley with their 3 kids at the time. My older brothers. Their air conditioning broke and the seats melted. No cell signal, this was before I was even born. I’m 25. My brothers were teens at the time. They all survived, but they were all terrified

[@AnAngryPomeranianUnderYourBed]

Sorry.... MELTED??? What were they made out of? Leather? This makes me want to cry lol omfg. 😭

[@ursodermatt8809]

@@AnAngryPomeranianUnderYourBed also the metal of the car evaporated it was that hot!

[@MrBallPen]

google maps should put warnings on potentially dangerous roads, just like how they do on private roads.

[@dianabernier3543]

Yeah. We do need to have common sense for sure, but these companies can’t get off scot-free considering the perils involved with traveling in a car as a regular citizen (and not a motor specialist)

[@xtrlsidma]

They don't know every dangerous road it's not like they check every single road in the world that gps can see

[@MrBallPen]

@@xtrlsidma and they don't know every private roads, but they manage to do it to some. There's always a way. they can put a warning that some roads are not yet verified. that's why I wrote "warning" and "potentially"

[@pumkin610]

They could at least say hey, this is death valley, please stay on official roads

[@MacCentrisSimpleSencilla]

Agreed. It should go without saying, roads in which you can lose signal to a cell phone tower should be marked in a way that make people aware they could be in trouble if something happens. No need to check all the world's roads, a simple change of color on the road, or a little warning "nearest cell phone tower -100 Km".

[@brooklynfirewolf]

This happened to me several years ago. My GPS led me up an abandoned logging road that would have been completely impassable if I had been in a car or even a Jeep. Fortunately, I was on a dual sport motorcycle, but even with that it took several hours to travel 5 miles, and by the end of it I was completely exhausted. I went back a year later and the GPS still tried to send me on the same route. I made it choose a different route and I *still* ended up on yet another abandoned logging road that was almost impassable even with the dual sport. I learned my lesson the second time and never tried to go that way again.

[@bread7966]

I don't know why but I find this scary

[@brooklynfirewolf]

@@bread7966 it was scary, no one knew I was out there. If I had gotten hurt....

[@twilightraven1232]

I had the exact same thing happen but I was in a 2002 chevy impala. The road looked nice at first but it turned into a very loose sand and omg that sand was everywhere after we turned around.

[@101Volts]

When checking bike trails in rural Pennsylvania, I got to the location I wanted. It also told me I could go over a bridge to get there from the other side, if I was over there - "ah, good." But there was no bridge, it looked like it had been taken out decades earlier.

[@alexapuerta]

If anyone finds a data problem, please submit a map edit to help others.

[@cferracini]

People laugh at me when I take places names seriously but look at how right I would be with that one! I wouldn't want to go to death valley nor bones road!

[@bartofii]

Can't speak for the road of bones, but Death Valley IS an actual tourist destination for sight seeing. So long as you stay aware of your location

[@VidralliaArchives]

Yeah just don't assume that "Rainbow Valley" is a nice place to visit. Because that's what they call the deadliest part of the climb up Mt. Everest. The "rainbow" refers to the brightly colored snow clothes of dead climbers whose bodies could not be recovered.

[@aaroncapricorn5867]

@@bartofii lots of other parks out there. not trying to scare but be informed of missing 411 with david paulides(prob free on yt and amazon prime)

[@OldZLand]

There are so many stories similar to this one. It's not really the fault of their GPS... some critical thinking skills are sometimes required in life. It's happened even before GPS with people following paper maps, like the Death Valley Germans in 1996. People make 1 mistake in the wrong turn and then make several more mistakes and poor, panicked choices that end with them in a life or death situation they aren't at all prepared for.

[@OwMeEd]

True, but on-your-feet critical thinking is no guarantee, which is why planning and preparation is essential for any hike.

[@dakota9821]

No but common sense is, and blindly following the GPS without thinking ain't it.@@OwMeEd

[@shaychestnut6688]

As someone who is directionally challenged, this is terrifying..

[@martiddy]

Basically Zoro in real life.

[@elizalkin]

So the hand that makes an "L" is your left hand (im sorry I think that was mean)

[@di-gun5791]

as long as you're with another adult and don't take "shortcuts" you're fine stick to the big roads

[@samuraijackoff5354]

@@elizalkin Honestly that has saved me more times than it should. Language has failed me.

[@TheSweetie223]

Always take the highway or go through town !

[@matt-cn4gq]

I used to work for Amazon and absolutely had to follow the routes given for deliveries, and sometimes the map would send me down narrow dirt roads along mountainsides and unused roads within hiking trails. Not knowing any better, I'd comply and I've seen my fair share of scary circumstances as a result. One time I had to reverse back down a mountainside road for 8 minutes in my massive Amazon van, on my 2nd month of work. Crazy how easy it is to trust your GPS above common sense

[@pterodactylbull]

Jesus I’m glad you’re okay! My girl drives for fedex on the weekends and my hyperactive brain has a plethora of scenarios that play out we live in the rural part of Florida and i am always deathly afraid she’ll encounter a God forsaken “Florida man”

[@oneoflokis]

Yeah!

[@biohazardlnfS]

Don't see how you absolutely had to. I also drove for Amazon for 3 years and I never had to follow the route. It's also a suggestion type GPS and you can take different paths to what ever address you needed to go to. You would also use Google maps if the Flex app was being weird in a odd way. You could modifier what stop you wanted to go too first as well

[@matt-cn4gq]

@@biohazardlnfS sometimes, especially in those routes, you kinda have to follow the route. If you're a veteran delivering in those mountain valley areas, you'd know your way around, but anyone else would not know how to navigate in those areas. There's also no signal for most of it, so you can't use any other map systems than the Amazon one.

[@Divazia]

I have some scary stories myself. Many dribers had to have a supervisor come and get them out of situations.

[@enoch4499]

I was with a friend when she answered her husband on speaker phone. He was distraught and out of breath; his work would fire him for refusing to service someone (he isntalled cable) and the house he was on his way to was in a rural area. The dirt road was narrow, unkempt and rugged. It crumbled beside a cliff side and he barely jumped out of the open drivers side of the work truck after his partner did. It happened so fast, they couldnt open the door, just had to slip out the open window while the truck fell off a mountain. *EDIT* i know this is not gps map related but this reminded me of this event and was similar enough due to unused/unkempt roads.

[@guestaccount4387]

This is such a perfect example of the fact that humans make mistakes, not for Alicia or his son, but the employees at Google programming the Maps application. Due to forgetfulness, they could have not trained Maps about these areas, and then this case happened. Heartbreaking.

[@truckercowboyed2638]

Uh no she bares responsibility for not reviewing the route, it's not Google's fault if you don't check the road conditions....also your grammar Is terrible

[@SaraMorgan-ym6ue]

Google maps was accurate like 20 years ago but not today as it does not even show buildings that have been built in the last 5 or 10 years

[@deisisase]

I've had a situation where a GPS tried to take me down a one-way road against traffic. I haven't seen that in many years, but I do wonder about the implications for self-driving cars.

[@aprilthomas1489]

The thing about self driving cars at least with Tesla's technology is that it relies on visual cues. The technology will actually read the street signs and see physical cars coming up the wrong way.

[@SpaceBugFood]

​@@aprilthomas1489is that why they keep exploding or is it unrelated

[@antcarhd1823]

@@SpaceBugFood Unrelated, fire events from Teslas are 10x less than other cars per billion miles travelled, only in the US as expected...

[@sandcat2383]

Happened to a friend of mine recently, and there was no sign saying it was a one-way road, despite being in the middle of a city

[@Hi-iv9si]

This happened to me too! Thanks for posting this people need to be aware that Google maps isn't perfect and should Not be relied on especially in places you've never been before. This was just a month ago. Google maps still directs down one ways..

[@jypsridic]

on a much less serious note of relation, there used to be a road connecting my small country road directly to the hamlet at the bottom of the hill but over the years half of it fell into disuse and eventually became a path only useable by tractors. Then mapquest became a thing at the same time my siblings and I got to the age where we would invite people over. Countless times for those years we were in highschool if we didn't remember to give people directions we'd get a call from them being at a dead end in a graveyard.

[@flaregames709]

15 secs

[@randomname7321]

Dude I read it wrong and thought you said DEAD IN A GRAVEYARD

[@rubenchavez4886]

@@randomname7321 🤣😂

[@BenSwagnerd]

@@randomname7321 thought the same thing at first had to read it a few times xD

[@randomname7321]

@@BenSwagnerd it messed me up i was like HUH

[@melody5296]

Extra note: For the Siberia one, the best route from Yakutsk to Magadan is the Kolyma Highway (R504). The Road of Bones is actually referring to the Kolyma Highway instead; the shortcut labelled on the map is called "Tomtor Road", which is in even worse condition than the R504. If you're ever going there, best to travel by plane instead; there are airports in the towns.

[@ChickenFerLei]

Who’d want to travel Siberia!!!! Lol

[@user-es3cu5em9k]

@@ChickenFerLei many people, actually.

[@volhan.p.9722]

@@ChickenFerLei it's actually very beautifull in Siberia. It is not always cold and summers can be quite hot. Also mountains (look at Altai) and nature is striking. It's just winter is not best time for traveling out there (exept Baikal lake, it's beautiful in every season, especially when frozen).

[@ChickenFerLei]

@@volhan.p.9722 oh I’m sure it is absolutely beautiful! I guess when I hear Siberia I think of extreme cold weather, snow, bears and tigers! lol But I’m sure it’s much more than that!! If I was an outdoorsy person or experienced hiker I’d want to visit and sightsee! Just never during the winter! NOTED. Lol

[@ChickenFerLei]

@@user-es3cu5em9k it was a joke… ya know cause the story? People travel everywhere. I know this lol

[@clover7359]

As a truck driver I'm embarrased how many times I've been burned by essentially blindly following GPS. I quickly got into the habit of verifying and researching my route if my GPS recommends a route I haven't used before.

[@butters742]

I have a friend that drove 8 hours the exact opposite direction of where they needed to go. Chances are they selected the right street in the wrong city and not the GPS's fault. But A road trip that turned from an 8 hour drive to a 24 hour drive! Pure confidence in the GPS.

[@powerlifting1012]

I did that but it was only cost me 2 hours

[@ChillinHD]

I know all the towns, cities, and highways etc 8 hours around me. This would never happen to me. Same for alot of Texans especially those in the oil industry

[@14112ido]

That happened to me when I was working as food delivery. I entered the right street name but the wrong town and ended up going on a 1 hour bike ride to the address. I just realized my mistake when the person at that address said that he didn't order any food. Fortunately, the guy who ordered the food was nice enough not to berate me for being late at delivering his food. Though it's doubly embarrassing for me since apparently it's just a 15 minute trip from the restaurant I worked at to the right address.

[@LadyAyleene]

@@ChillinHD that's interesting. From where I ive it is impossible to know every city or main road within an 8 hr drive. And I mean literally impossible. I live in Switzerland and within 8 hrs - depending on traffic, I can end up in about 10 different countries. But I was in Texas once and the distances are HUGE and the interstates are nothing like our autobahn. So I totally get how it is possible for you, but I'm really lost wihout maps or gps (yup, still own maps).

[@butters742]

@@LadyAyleene Yeah Canada is a big place let alone a single province. Fortunately my friend has family everywhere and stayed with them.

[@AndrewHalliwell]

Google maps is open to corrections sent by the public. I've done it myself when i asked for a waking route and it tried to direct me into a no pedestrian road. I knew it was wrong, local knowledge, and sent the correction.

[@EthanNeal]

I've done that before in multiple places. Told Google of a non-existent road in a rural area of the DFW metro, gone in two days. Told Google of an illegal left turn in Baton Rouge, it still tries to make you take that turn 6 months later. In Baton Rouge! One of the most dangerous cities in the US! It's even clear as day on street view of the area! I've never been the most trusting of GPS, but that's just egregious.

[@YesVisual]

We had a creepy experienced using a Google map. My family decided to spent our holiday in province of our relatives, we're not familiar on routes so we decided to use Google map. It was almost midnight when we get to the province. That's where it started to get creepy , at first we didn't noticed that we're just keep on circling around this wooden area. Until my brother pointed out that we've been on this road for two times. There's a cemetery near it that's why he noticed that we've been there for two times. My mom looked at the Google map again to make sure it was right routes. My parents decided to follow it for one last time to see if google map is really leading us to the right path. When we almost reach the destination the google map reset from the beginning and gave us the same routes for the 3rd time we saw the cemetery again. That's when we stopped using the Google map and went back to the main road to ask some locals. They told us there's no road in that area that will lead us to our destination. We had no idea why Google map gave us a route of no way out.

[@honglee6880]

I am chinese. If you keep passing by cemetery, remember to swear really hard. Call us chinese superstitious or what, we believe other beings is playing with you, just swear and be angry, your energy will scare them away.

[@sadetucker2094]

I just read a news article about 2 weeks ago about a man who was using his GPS to get home during a bad rain storm. The GPS lead him to a spot where there used to be a bridge, except the bridge was no longer standing. The guy ended up driving off of a cliff and died as a result.

[@videosaver1934]

This happened to us when we were going back to Virginia from West Virginia. Instead of suggesting the 5 hours drive on the main road, Google suggested for us to take the 8 hour drive in the long winding road up and down the mountains. It was scary because the roads are narrow and we can fall in the cliffs and river. We also passed abandoned towns. It's a good thing it was during the day. It would be so much more dangerous driving at night!

[@animeartist888]

I have also used Google Maps and taken that road. Never ever again. Was so uncomfortable but there was no way off of that road and no space to turn around for miles and miles.

[@eerielamp]

Once did a pass between VA and NC. Well there aren't any big roads going north/south except the far east and west of the state. Well, google had me take this direct route, only 2 hours, straight up and down the mountain range, all these hairpin switchbacks... all in the dead of night, too...

[@videosaver1934]

@@shotcallerdj8228 we took the main road going to West Virginia that's why we know about the 5 hour drive. Going back, we had to stop to get gas away from the main road and then the GPS changed.

[@mauricedavis2160]

Exactly, what's up with these ridiculous scenic routes that were not requested in the first place, it has happened to me and believe me it was so not chill!!!🙏😬

[@kerbalis3298]

@@eerielamp just go takumi mode

[@PeteFredrickson]

Some tips to stay safe: 1. Like the video says, always follow posted road signs and use your own situational awareness first. 2. Learn how to use a compass and/or old school map in case the GPS leads you somewhere you didn't anticipate. Although these may seem like antiquated tools, they're still worth keeping in case of emergencies. 3. Do your due diligence and anticipate the weather/climate of the areas you'll be going through and prepare accordingly. Also always have some emergency supplies stocked regardless of where you're going. 4. It's probably best to avoid areas that are known for extreme conditions unless you have a good specific reason for going there. If a GPS route takes you through such an area, pick an alternative route even if it takes longer.

[@dianabernier3543]

GPS systems should flash these tips every time you use them

[@oscarosullivan4513]

In sailing you have to prove during the RYA skipper tests that you can navigate without GPS.

[@MGSLurmey]

@@oscarosullivan4513 This should be a requirement for all forms of travel, driving included. Sadly, that's likely never going to happen.

[@Kuri0]

>Learn how to use a compass and/or old school map in case the GPS leads you somewhere you didn't anticipate. Although these may seem like antiquated tools, they're still worth keeping in case of emergencies. google maps exists if you have battery

[@PeteFredrickson]

@@Kuri0 It's fine to use google maps as your primary navigation tool but the point of this video was to show that you shouldn't always just blindly trust it. Also those tools are good for if you run out of battery and have no way of charging your phone or for some other reason it stops working.

[@mistingwolf]

This is why it's still important to keep a physical atlas and compass in your vehicle, especially if you're going to somewhere remote. GPS and your phone can fail you; if your GPS is telling you to go somewhere you didn't expect, especially in uninhabited areas, always double check the physical roadmap.

[@myStitch11]

Whenever I use GPS to get to my doctor (if brain is too tired to think) there is this big road that ALWAYS tells me turn left when turning left is illegal as you have to turn right to get into a U-turn lane. It gets a bit annoying that after years that hasn’t been fixed

[@yourlocalbeingwithoutaface]

Understandable.

[@ursodermatt8809]

you might have to report this to them.

[@jasonmultin4781]

I know some people might blame the drivers in this situation and some might blame the GPS system, but I feel that there is someone else who is more to blame. It is the government in charge of these unusable roads. There shouldn't be roads built that lead to nowhere. If a road was once used and is no longer usable, then the government should put a sign that says, "Road Closed".

[@angelapastorius2377]

🎯

[@sarahslagle1765]

Unfortunately sometimes "roads" on GPS aren't even roads at all and have never been built or mantained ever. Especially in rural/desert areas animal trails can be marked as roads even though you can't drive on them, because they look like a road on the satellite image. This problem has been getting better but we had people trying to drive down cow trails on our ranch sometimes. Also often private roads are shown as available routes on google maps etc.

[@alex_zetsu]

@@sarahslagle1765 I can forgive the GPS for having no longer maintained roads still in their system since no one is telling them about it, but why would things that were never roads in the first place be in the system? So yeah, blaming the GPS database as opposed to the government seems appropriate.

[@TheBlkKat]

@@alex_zetsu Because errors happen. You are talking about equipment orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km (12,550 miles) *in space*. Space weather has a major impact on how we on the ground are able to receive the signals transmitted by the satellites.

[@ericwieboldt7042]

It's called critical thinking. Some of us still use it

[@edi9892]

In Europe, the most common navigation mistake is that a road has a bridge or tunnel too low for trucks or busses... I've also heard of cars getting stuck in narrowing alleys you were only supposed to walk on...

[@mushroomsoup2866]

The satnav I use at work displays all footpaths the same as roads...

[@kaz101]

I used Google Maps to find my way to a job interview that I had scheduled a few months ago. I set off, and all went well at first until the map just started going crazy and taking me in circles and all over the place. Maybe I shouldn't have put my trust in google maps, but it does work for me 99% of the time. Of course it had to fail me when it mattered the most lol. I didn't get a second chance for that interview.

[@rainerschmid9965]

Hello. I am sorry you failed the interview, but use the experience: To organise yourself in order to be there at the required time is a part of the interview itself. Remember: Early is on time - on time is late.

[@twicelands]

My family and I got completely bamboozled by Google Maps one time as well. Instead of going to the main and safe road, the app suggested we take the "faster route" (which would save us like 15 mins?). Little did we know, that road was extremely dangerous and almost always avoided. Note this is in a very long mountainous area in the Philippines. Lots of zig zags, sharp turns, basically just dirt road, pretty much one way (you'd have to reverse all the way back if there's a vehicle coming from the other way). Literally on a mountain, so very prone to landslides and rockfalls. Most of it didn't have railings, so one wrong move and we would've been rolling down the mountain. Also want to share how we got confused or weird looks from locals around the area before the start of the road. Should've taken a hint. When we finally got out of that road, more locals from the village looked visibly surprised to find an SUV making it out of that road. No wonder we saw absolutely zero cars taking it, just a motorcycle or two. Thankfully my dad is a skillful driver and got us out of there safely. Also, good thing it wasn't during the rainy season in the Philippines. And we were lucky there was still daylight and no vehicle was coming from the other way.

[@foznoth]

In the UK there was a spate of large trucks & coaches following GPS mapping devices and getting stuck down rural roads or under low bridges. It was discovered the owners of the vehicles had cheaped out on standard devices, not the ones designed for large vehicles. The software didn't know to take in to account the width, height & weight. It's always worth checking to see if the software accommodates any out of ordinary features of your vehicle.

[@sophierobinson2738]

That would explain the 11’8” + 8” can-opener bridge….

[@instagamrr]

Ooh i would have never even realized this is something to take into account. Thank you!

[@101Swiftflick]

Mapquest was TERRBILE back in the day. Always telling us to turn right instead of left or vice versa and insisting on trying to send us to a completely different state every time we tried to get directions home because that state had a town with the same name. One time it told us to drive through a lake to get to our destination. To be fair, we COULD physically see the place we wanted to go across that lake, but we didn't own an aquatic vehicle so we kept taking side roads until we finally got around the lake and figured out our way from there.

[@bucketofsunshine6366]

Haha I remember once being told by mapquest to use a river as a road in Boston. Never trusted that app again 😂

[@janebeckman3431]

Mapquest also loved sending you the wrong way down one-way streets.

[@PixieoftheWood]

I've had google tell me to drive into a lake. Granted, I had technically asked for directions to the lake, but I was expecting it to take me to the parking lot by the shore of the lake which had an area set up for cookouts and stuff. Instead it just told me to take a bridge that went over the lake, then told me to turn left when I was halfway over the bridge. Technically it was correct. This is why the idea of self driving cars terrifies me. In this situation it was fine, I was able to drive around and find what I actually wanted, but that could be deadly if the self driving car decides you need to go into the lake.

[@pterodactylbull]

😂😂 that’s wild

[@crowdemon_archives]

@@PixieoftheWood Self-driving cars should only be used in places that won't lead you to watery, muddy, and sandy graves lol

[@jennywarren]

I was driving to the nearest city when I first started driving and my GPS took me through woods and across train tracks right next to the city when there were a hundred different roads I could have taken instead. I remember some kid telling me it was okay to cross there like an npc in a video game.

[@Shrimpyyyyyyyy]

When my husband and I were in Scotland, Google Maps directed us into a lake, we got to what looked like a dead end with a broken bridge and Mr Google wanted us to drive over the bridge lol. We turned around and found the actual proper road to where we were meant to be going

[@hampopper3150]

Me and my mom were driving and she missed the turn so she followed google maps to turn us around and it led us up a mountain to drive off a cliff behind someone's house. good job google maps you almost sent me and my mom to our deaths.

[@zygarde_9000]

I was once on a drive with my dad and dog around a place we didn’t know. We were using google maps navigation to find our way around. But then google maps told us to turn to a different side road. What we did not realize at the time is that it was a military base. We were greeted by 5 armed guards who made us follow them outside. It also didn’t help that our dog was barking at them the whole time.

[@tonycave48]

It’s actually good to know that these situations are more difficult to happen now since some phones have Satellite SOS, if it was out earlier it could’ve saved their lives :/

[@DKCGamerGirl]

I remember watching a news segment years ago about GoogleMaps nearly sending someone to drive off a cliff. Was so hilarious, yet terrifying. Never forgot about that one.

[@weridplusho]

I learned that GPS can be useless when I tried using it in NYC. Nowadays, I try my best to pay attention to where I'm going when I use the GPS so I don't have to use it the 2nd time to get to the same place. I find it helps me learn what the road signs mean, it's easier to remember the path and it's like a victory in of itself to remember something after doing it once.

[@zhisu2665]

Sydney too.

[@mrconfusion87]

I think it pays to do just that ANYWHERE!

[@nocturnal377]

I also remember a time Google Maps took me down a one way road, going the wrong direction. There were no signs indicating it was a one way and I almost had a head on collision.

[@inpossible1910]

0:30 once the gps told us to go over a walk bridge 😂

[@Ace-1525]

very grateful to my dad (former truck driver) who taught me to always keep current topographical and road maps in my dash. I'll use the internet for finding generally where my destination is, but when I'm on the road? I stick to good ol fashioned paper and try to use common sense.

[@mitchymoto3085]

I'm thankful I'm a motorcyclist in Australia because until we get our full license we are not allowed to have a gps system installed on our bikes, so we have to either just know where we are going or have to look at maps and memorize the route before we leave and plan stops to re-look at the map if necessary. After awhile it becomes an easy force of habit even when I'm in a car.

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

Nightmare scenario for a parent. Ending up in a deadly situation with your kid in tow

[@sleezybreezy]

I needed to see this, I’ll use my gps to get to places I literally know by heart, I just like knowing my ETA but I can’t always depend on technology

[@angie-ve2ds]

i remember once when i was a child we were using the cars built in gps to navigate in a different country, we were on the high way and were supposed to exit on the 2nd exit but we accidentally exited on the 1st, and immediately the gps starts flashing red and saying "danger, turn back immediately" we suspect it was a minefield but idk

[@roseblite6449]

Back before GPS became the go to mapping system I always bought maps at local places I visited around the country. I'll still buy them even though there is a GPS in the vehicle, because there are many reasons that GPS won't work (canyons, valleys, solar flair, etc.).

[@sallylemon5835]

Still the smartest idea that makes people more intelligent

[@maxhonneger2761]

IF, that is, you can still find real maps.

[@roseblite6449]

@@maxhonneger2761 A lot easier to find maps than you think, though now a days you might have to order them online before starting a trip. 30 years ago it wasn't much of a problem, every local 7-11 (convenient store) carried them for their cities. Wal-Mart may still sell state maps, haven't looked lately for them though.

[@peterjf7723]

Around fifteen years ago I was delivering something for my work and using GPS to get me there. It almost worked. The GPS directions got me to about 100m of where I needed to be. I could see the building, unfortunately it was the other side of a railway track with no nearby crossing. I had a physical map and used that, from what I remember it was around a four mile drive to reach the destination from where the GPS gave up.

[@ApigeonCappucinno]

Google maps can be pretty dangerous. I remember my family's first trip to Italy. My dad's phone lost signal and google maps froze. It showed that we had to drive through the sea but he managed to get it working soon.

[@mirrormirror444]

I drove across the country with my sister, Waze directed us down a country road that led straight into a sprawling cow farm in Texas with huge tractors driving towards us in both directions. We couldn’t go anywhere so we waved until they stopped, let us by and to tell us how to get back to the main road. Then in Houston it rerouted us to get off the freeway on to side streets to avoid traffic but it kept having us drive in circles from freeway to side streets perpetually rerouting until we decided to not leave the freeway until the next city. Sometimes a physical map seems worth the inconvenience of not being led astray to your death.

[@spiralpython1989]

Just returned to Australia from a trip to Europe. I hired a car in Poland, to get to a fairly remote music festival. I ended up actually stopping the car to yell obscenities at google maps and apple maps. I did not want the “shortest” route, which is a country, unpaved track, while the longer route is a newly resurfaced, double laned divided highway. The ‘shortest route’ looked much more direct, whilst the highway swung between mountain tops and around ruined castles, but actually was a significantly faster and safer route. Neither apple maps nor google maps were able to stop and give preferred directions once they had plotted the most direct route… and I had both mapping programs telling me to take the next left/ do a u turn/ proceed to the route… the one time I wanted either app to actually “reroute”. Sadly yelling obscenities did not help. Only shutting phone and car’s ‘integrated information system’ down and following road signs helped.

[@TheDenssy]

I live in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and I use Google maps a lot to get to places I don't know, Google Maps works here but it is not actualized that often so something that I learned quite quickly is that you should never just blindly fallow GPS directions. Investigate about the place you gonna go and the best route to take and keep your mind on the road instead of your GPS screen will save you a lot of troubles

[@charlartsandotherstuff2588]

This reminds me of the time my dad and I went to Amsterdam. We hired a car at my dad's insistance(?) and when we were trying to get to the grocery store, the GPS on the car and our phones sent us down a one way, pedestrian/cyclists only road along a canal. luckily the people who were there were very understanding. safe to say we returned the hire car early and took public transport for the rest of the week.

[@timmusician5060]

I’ve had to train myself to only take google maps directions as a suggestion. Sometimes it takes you down roads that need a lot of repair & since I’m familiar with my area I know to ignore google maps. It will just recalculate when I pass the turns anyway. I still carry paper maps as backup too. But I grew up in a time before smart phones.

[@TheSpeed0fLight]

I'm currently phone-less and dealing with no GPS made me feel UTTERLY USELESS as a human being. I am lucky I learned how to read road signs but even then, this sucks!

[@BradGryphonn]

Hey, Speedy. Once upon a time we had maps and street directories, printed in paper books. They were cool...LOL

[@Hmclaren-vc8vf]

Try an ATLAS 🤦‍♀️

[@BradGryphonn]

@@Hmclaren-vc8vf Yep.

[@gabzsy4924]

Wait...road signs? You know you are supposed to know how to read road signs regardless right? Wth

[@wylsonagustino7947]

Just ask nearby drivers (delivery peeps are the best choice) for an advice. Once got yeeted by Google Maps and stranded around 100km away from home with my bike. Asked a random delivery person and that madlad casually told me every turns and road names I needed to reach that 100km back.

[@cosmicmousse]

I've come across so many instances of Google maps being wrong. Turnings where the road just goes round a corner, junctions that don't give directions because the major road is set to continue down the minor road, and incorrect road layouts. It can be annoying sometimes

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

Weird. I've never had that experience.

[@mrconfusion87]

I'd give Google Maps a B/B- in terms of accuracy (based on my own personal experiences using it). You still have to exercise due diligence when using it in any circumstance.

[@deucedeuce1572]

I had a GPS almost run me into the side of a moving train one time. It was so twisted I wish I could describe the whole situation... and on at-least 3 occasions I've had GPS tell me to turn down a 1-way street the wrong way. (The first 2 times I went the way it told me and almost got into accidents, so now I ALWAYS make sure I'm not turning into anything dangerous when the GPS gives me directions).

[@BaronVonQuiply]

I used to work for the census a bit before everyone had a smartphone with GPS based maps, so I had to load maps onto my laptop by county, and could only have one running at a time. The maps were not only from the 1960s (and thus incomplete and obsolete), but some of the roads gave no warning to the fact that they were seasonal and the snow plow either plowed up to a point, or didn't plow the road at all. Relatively close by is one of these roads, it's slightly rough in the summer, but completely impassable in the winter and requires a miles-long detour.

[@SuLokify]

Good job explaining the basics of GPS! Accurate, concise, and simple.

[@dwavenminer]

Has a minor issue at about 9:14 Your position is *not* in that triangle, remember your position is on surface of those circles, not inside, not outside. Your actual position is in one of the two spots where the surface of all three circles overlap, which one of the two? Well, in reality, in 3D space the surface of those 3 spheres have 1 point that intersect on the surface of the Earth, and the other in orbit...and its safe to assume you are on the surface of the Earth.

[@jwhite5008]

@@dwavenminer/videos It mostly is a triangle in spherical coordinates. If you have only 2 "good" satellites in view the system can still determine your coarse location assuming you are roughly on the planet surface. This is known as "2D fix".

[@yourenotimmune]

My family experienced this too, when we were on a trip to one of the highest plateau in my country, we were just following GPS (to be exact, Google Maps). Instead of following up the main road, we're just blindly told by GPS to go right where we ended up getting lost, so we decided to go down the hill and lucky enough we passed the civilization and we're safe. My family assumed it's GPS fault for leading us to this accident but yeah thanks for your video, it's just both computer and more importantly, our fault.

[@asharista3152]

amateurs.

[@yourenotimmune]

@@asharista3152 Tbf, It was like in the past. Lol

[@dianabernier3543]

That’s a sad but salient takeaway. It should be common sense, but also GPS providers should give warnings to use your own judgement and research unfamiliar paths before you take them. We’re given these tools and the dangers that come with using them should be explicitly stated. Reminders and awareness never hurt, and could save lives We put warnings on cigs even though coming sense should tell you that inhaling smoke can harm you. Idk why this episode of Brew has me so shook

[@coreym162]

@@dianabernier3543 It should be a cultural prerequisite that if you aren't willing to use common sense... Darwin Award time... Why should adults be giving free will if they can't even choose properly and why should those that use common sense always have to suffer for it? Maybe things that hold us back and make life miserable will go away if we have basic societal guidelines. If you have the freedom to choose, death should be one choice... You can't save em all so, why try?

[@insertnamehere6105]

Google maps is slightly unaware and tells you on questionable routes to go for you destination

[@Sally4th_]

I used to work for the Ordnance Survey and remember one person trying to sue the organisation because they walked off the side of a mountain following a feature clearly labelled as "approximate location". This was in the days of paper maps so it's not a new problem. They lost the case btw.

[@imjudgingyou000]

Things like this is why I always stick to the main roads, despite whatever GPS might tell me. Hasn’t done me wrong yet.

[@desmondruhling]

these stories are so sad… i too have had experiences with GPS that are.. unfavorable. I’m glad that they didn’t end as bad as these, though…

[@downhomesunset]

IDK why you wouldn’t have warm clothing and food for a trip of more than 17 hours?!?!

[@randomlyhandheld]

I never had nothing this serious happen, but when Apple maps was first released years back, it almost led me off a cliff because I've never been on the road before it was directing me to take. Scary stuff!

[@Spikehead777]

I drive with a GPS almost daily. There are roads in my town that don't exist or are disconnected by permanent barriers (e.g., a train crossing no longer allowing road traffic or a street onto a larger street being turned into a dead end). Google Maps still thinks these routes are possible when they are not.

[@raisinbrancereal582]

Almost got in a crash the other day cause gmaps did that thing where it shows a delay between where you really are and where you are on the map. So just as I'm about to pass my turn is when gmaps said to turn. I panicked and almost did it, but thank God I was able to snap my focus back before driving into traffic. My one piece of advice is that you can always do a u-turn

[@specialopsdave]

This is why, whenever your route brings you more than a mile from any freeway, you always double-check the auto-route with satellite imagery, and see if the road is good enough for your car or not.

[@gabzsy4924]

This is very sad and all but all I could think of was this The Office episode where Michael is mad about technology and decides to follow the GPS literally, going straight into a lake even though it was obvious he was meant to take a right turn. Also, who leaves a tire and a rim in the middle of a park? Even the water bottle...it's pollution regardless and the rim? Man that thing is expensive!! I don't understand.

[@Neclony]

Stupidity that's how you can explain and understand all of this. Sadly.

[@annalise9011]

Due to how quickly certain things update and how accurate certain information are, most people online now take everything online to be facts to follow and are unquestionable truths. But as someone who grew up on a rural island, I can tell you the amount of roads they miss and the sheer amount of roads that are just dirt paths now on Google maps makes me a little anxious to relay on it now that I'm away from home. A local map and guide is probably the best thing.

[@alice20001]

I had this happen to me once. There was a HUGE traffic congestion and Waze gave me an alternate route, I looked at it and seemed to be a little of the beaten path, but I was in a Jeep so decided to proceed. As I went further down what seemed to be an access road, it got to be less and less like an access road. I slowed down and started to look at my surroundings for any clues, because there wasn't much of a road, but the GPS said I was in the right place. At that point I locked my differential and started to drive slowly in low range (chill it was a dirt road), suddenly my car dropped. I was able to stop it safely and once immobilized, I got out and looked around. There was no road. I'd just fallen from a "small" drop (it was higher than my knees). From there, I walked around, knocked down some bushes and got a plan to get myself turned around and identified a few different ways I could safely climb back up the rock I'd just gone down, and if that didn't work, there were a couple of other options for driving around for a different angle. I knew I was going to be offroad so I prepared, sat-phone, kept my family up to date on my location at specified intervals, and shared my location with a few different apps. There have been a small group of people I have been able to help out so far that had been stuck. I drive with recovery equipment, first aid equipment and materials, and spare food and water. If I am taking long routes I tell my family my planned route and my alternate routes. Be safe out there everyone.

[@mealiemil]

Those stories are all very sad and scary, but it does go to show how technology isn't perfect and in this case, it simply just tries to find the quickest route. Hopefully those people who survived the accidents and getting stranded while driving with gps maps are doing okay, and for the people who didn't make it on those trips I send my condolences to their families and I hope the people who didn't make it rest in Peace In Heaven.

[@banksuvladimir]

But this has nothing to do with technology. A paper map could lead to the exact same thing, and a paper map is less likely to be updated than google maps

[@wyattjohnson5181]

Me currently on a car trip using Google maps: INTENSE SWEATING

[@downhomesunset]

LOL-I read that as “SWEARING”

[@wyattjohnson5181]

@@downhomesunset it could be at this point. We have been going for 2 days and are not quite halfway

[@Uybak]

@@wyattjohnson5181 where you goin.. that’s half of europe done

[@wyattjohnson5181]

@@Uybak i live in the land of the annoying and home of the obese. We are moving from the east coast to the west coast. Yee haw, murica, whoopee. (I am suffering)

[@mrfooledyaa5430]

I tell my wife all the time to learn to drive by landmark and learn what's around. Road signs and route numbers are great too but those are just signs and could be down when you need them. When we met she literally couldn't get anywhere without GPS, maybe one route she traveled regularly. She's much better 5 years later lol. I love GPS as much as anyone but blindly obeying a program that isn't in the vehicle with you is silly, and instances like these where logic should take over, it doesn't because we trust too much in our tech.

[@wildersystem]

I actually don’t have GPS available to me these days and it has prompted me to plan ahead for trips better as well as become more attentive. I can navigate using reason and observation now lol

[@Hurricayne92]

I will always remember a story that my Grandparents told me, that when using a GPS around 2010 it tried to drive them off a pier through a lake 😅

[@slametbagaskoro6328]

I do travel a lot by cars and when i travel i always remember about a proverb in my country saying "if you too shy to ask, you will get lost". GPS is good, but locals always know their area better. Just pullover and ask the locals politely when you are unsure with your route. They will surely give you direction and warnings.

[@Alaryicjude]

"The map is not the territory." Always good to keep in mind

[@Prich319]

I had something similar happen to me a few months ago. I had learned that a hobby shop I go to sometimes had moved from Medford to Wakefield. I used Google maps to plan my trip beforehand, I got to my exit fine enough, but from there, I had to pull over and check my phone several times, as the app didn't say anything about the road work being done on the route. even weirder was that the gps gave me a completely different route when I was trying to get back home, a route which works both ways, and avoided the road work. I now use that route as it was easier to remember.

[@DarisT-qc1fw]

This BS happened to me once. I was taking an elderly relative from another city back to her home which I'm not familiar with the directions. Google Maps took me on a route I could only describe as the jungle scene from Romancing The Stone.

[@nothnx3210]

Crazy how i've been to many, many places even to mountainous ones with gps, and I haven't had tooooo much trouble. This vid really made me reflect on what I can do better for future trips though.

[@_MelodyDragons_]

For anyone who wants this, the sponsor ends at 2:37

[@Kyahlovescats]

Thanks

[@sticksZin]

this happens alot in rio de janeiro, you get a detour thru a favela, beverly hills meet slums kinda thing, then suddently ur inside a terrorist faction playground, and if u dont know the customs only a drug user would know, ur car will be totalled with bullets, with you inside

[@awphooey2u519]

Oof, been there and I'm from Barra de tijuca. You do NOT want to accidentally pass through a favela. You dunno if it's friendly or dangerous.

[@Ayelmar]

More than once using standalone GPS units rather than my smartphone GPS, I've been on an *overpass* with no actual intersection or ramps to the highway crossing below me...and I've been confidently instructed to "turn right onto now!" -- needless to say, I told Ms. GPS where to stuff it, pulled off at the next service station, and consulted the actual map display to plot my *own* route to my destination.... ...and then there are all the "scenic" trips through decrepit warehouse blocks and industrial parks I've been told to take, over the years....

[@MysteryMowchi]

i went on a weekend hiking trip to Death Valley once. We had an offline Google Maps that showed us a path to the spring. The map ended up leading us to a literal ghost town with abandoned houses and shops. We drove for 10min and decided to go back to the main road worried about our gas getting low. Turned out to be the right choice because after asking other campers at the gas station and store, the springs were closed and completely at a different direction. To this day I check the map to see if I can find the ghost town because I do have photos of the place and remember the directions but it doesn't appear anywhere. 😨😨😨

[@MrFleem]

Google has lead me astray several times inside the city. Once it thought a canal was a road. Another time, it seemed to be confused about which street my destination was on, and sent me to the next street over, which was in a different neighborhood. One problem, I think, is that it's usually right, so most people will stop being careful after awhile.

[@cameronlofte3386]

Google maps gave me three options for scoping out a trailhead and I took the shortest one. I printed out directions and even checked satellite to see if my sedan could take those roads. Upon coming upon the road, I realized those satellite images must've been outdated as the road was in segments with half of it sliding down the hillside. I checked that trailhead again the following week to try one of the other two routes and to my surprise they were the only two avaliable. Google maps is smart and can fix mistakes quickly, but mistakes still happen and it's easy to feel confident going into something with the wrong information

[@slcRN1971]

On our way to my grandmother’s 100th birthday celebration (in another state), our GPS had us turn off a main road, onto a narrow back road. On either side of that road, was a deep creek-bed with high fast moving water. We were ok until a large school bus was coming at us, in the opposite direction. That road was NOT wide enough for both vehicles. My husband had to make a very fast turn, into a home’s driveway (which was also very narrow, with the creek flowing on each side). It was nerve-wrecking road and we made sure NOT to use it, on our way back home!!

[@duck74UK]

Stuff like this is why I always check google maps before driving, it gives you 3 options everytime. The fastest route, the suggested route, and alternative route. The Suggested one will try to put you onto a motorway or other big roads as soon as and for as long as reasonably possible, keeping you away from nonsense roads.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Navigation with gps could also be coroborated with old-fashioned paper map technology. Paper road maps can give detailed information on the quality of the roads.