Tamil Nadu man relies on Google Maps for 'fastest route', ends up at flight of steps
An SUV found itself in a precarious position atop a flight of stairs after the driver followed what was believed to be the "fastest route" provided by Google Maps. Google Maps is known for its ability to calculate the fastest route based on real-time traffic data and other factors.
FollowEvery one of us has at some point encountered a scenario when using Google Maps proved to be a mistake, taking us down unknown paths or showing us routes we never planned to travel. An SUV driver in Gudalur, a mountainous town in Tamil Nadu, experienced this after getting lost on a set of stairs while using Google Maps as a navigational aid.
Unexpectedly, a man was returning to Karnataka by car from Gudalur, where he and his friends had spent the weekend, and he was using Google Maps to guide him. Located at the intersection of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, Gudalur is a well-liked vacation spot that travellers often stop on their way to Ooty.
Despite following Google Maps’ directions, the friends were led through the Police Quarters, a path the navigation app claimed to be the “fastest route.” Regretfully, this path took them to a steep set of steps in a neighbourhood.When they realised they couldn't go any farther, the man stopped the car on the steps and went to get help.
According to media reports, locals and police officers assisted the party in getting the SUV back on the main road so they could resume their journey to Karnataka.
That being said, this is not the first time that Google Maps has given drivers difficulties. In a similar mishap, a group of Californians returning from a Formula One event in Las Vegas relied on Google Maps for guidance, only to end up in a desert instead of reaching their intended destination.
In order to escape traffic jams caused by a dust storm on Interstate 15, Shelby Easler, her brother Austin, and other drivers reportedly utilised Google Maps to direct them on an alternate route when they were returning to Los Angeles, according to a story by SFGATE. Suddenly, Google Maps took the party away of the main path and into the rugged Nevada desert, leaving them lost and confused in a strange place.
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