Google Maps Detour Leaves Tahoe Driver Stuck Off-Road in the Mud
Detour generated by Google Maps leads Colorado Chevy driver down dangerous forest road. And he wasn’t the only one, either!
After a series of severe storms in the Denver area, mudslides posed a sever threat to many motorists. A section of highway I-70 in Colorado was shut down. So, people turned to Google Maps to find faster, safer routes. Well, in theory. What one Chevy Tahoe didn’t expect, however, was to have a commute from work turn into an wild off-road expedition.
Loni Nelson was on the road when he and others were stopped by State Troopers and told to turn around. Nelson used the Google Maps app to find an alternate route.
“Google pulled up a route and said it was clear and feasible to get through,” Nelson told local TV station ABC 7 News.
Initially it all seemed fine. The detour given to him was reported to be clear and easy going. It directed him down a few residential streets. But Nelson began to suspect something was amiss when the roads and terrain got tougher. Soon he realized that the seemingly docile byway he was on had turned turned into Forest Route 800.
Realizing that he was off-road and out of range for any cellular service, he pressed onward, hoping that he would soon meet up to another paved road. Instead, about three miles into Forest Route 800, his Tahoe got stuck, and then slid down a muddy hillside and into a tree. Which, was exactly what Nelson feared would happen.
“I was scared that it was going to roll down the mountain and I was going to get crumpled in it and trapped,” said a rattled Nelson. “I was nowhere near cell phone service.”
Thankfully, luck was on Nelson’s side. Shortly after his accident, another driver happened upon the scene and gave him a ride into the next town. When Nelson returned to the scene the following day, his Tahoe wasn’t the only unsuspecting vehicle to slide down the hill. Nelson’s guess was that the trail wasn’t clear enough for some of the other drivers, who had also followed Google Maps bad advice. It also seems to us that Google Maps algorithm chose a route that was best left to serious off-road beasts only.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Unfortunately for Google, this one misguidance was enough for Nelson to vow to never use their Maps service ever again. After what happened to his Tahoe and witnessing the messy scenario it put other motorists through as well, he doesn’t trust in Google’s ability to generate safe alternative routes.
“After going down that road, Google’s full of it,” he says. “That (road) is… for people who have jacked-up Jeeps with 30-inch tires for mud bogging and off-roading.”
For Nelson’s sake, let’s hope Waze or Apple Maps doesn’t disappoint him like Google did.
Photos: ABC7 News; Loni Nelson
Join the Chevrolet Forums now!
