Google Maps is by far the best and reliable source for all navigation needs and the various features within the app makes it more useful than one can imagine. From finding a new place to checking real-time traffic updates, Google Maps helps out millions with its guidance. But even the best ones tend to fail sometimes and Google Maps one minor error stranded hundreds in an empty field. To make matters worse, commuters were trying to get to an airport to either pick someone or catch a flight.
According to CNN, a crash on Pena Boulevard, which connects to Denver International Airport in Colorado, triggered Google Maps to look for an alternate route to the airport without being stuck in the traffic. Like always, Google Maps suggested a detour, which reportedly cut the estimated time to reach the destination in half. Who wouldn't take it?
When hundreds of drivers found Google Maps' supposedly wise suggestion, they didn't think twice before taking the detour. After all, the alternate route showed only 23 minutes to the destination, which was initially 43 minutes, Connie Monsees, a woman who was on her way to the airport to pick her husband when she encountered the wreck Pena Boulevard, told CNN.
To her surprise, and a hundred others, Google Maps' detour turned out to be a nightmare. Following the directions, drivers were led to an empty field. A couple of cars up front had already been stuck in the mud, which brought the further incoming vehicles to a standstill. The mud road was so narrow that cars couldn't make a U-turn to join the original route, stranding hundreds in middle of nowhere.
In response to this fiasco, Google said that the road it suggested was not marked private.
"We take many factors into account when determining driving routes, including the size of the road and the directness of the route," the company said in a statement. "While we always work to provide the best directions, issues can arise due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather. We encourage all drivers to follow local laws, stay attentive, and use their best judgment while driving," Google said in a statement, CNN reported.
Monsees, who experienced it all first hand, said her car was able to get out of the muddy road as it was an all-wheel drive. She also managed to give two people a ride to the airport and they caught their flight.
This is not the first time Google Maps misguided its users. Recently, a similar incident took place in Goa, India, where it gave the wrong route to those who were trying to get to the Baga beach. As a result, locals resorted to the old-school method of putting up a banner that said: "You are fooled by Google Maps."
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