After a crash on Peña Boulevard, a road leading to Denver International Airport, the navigation app suggested taking a detour to save time. The problem is that the detour lead the drivers straight into a muddy field.
The alternate route took these vehicles down a dirt road, which had become even messier because of the prior rain. Cars started to slide around, some got stuck, which in turn meant that the vehicles behind them also had no way out.
“So I pulled out my Google Maps to see if there is a better way to go, and it told me to take the next exit and it would be about half the time,” said Connie Monsees, one of the unfortunate drivers who was on the way to pick up her husband at the airport.
“I’m following this line of cars and my thought was, ‘Well, there’s so many other people going, it must be OK,’ ” Monsees told ABC. “So I went ahead … but the thing was, it wasn’t like you could choose to make a U-turn.”
A spokesperson for Google said, “We take many factors into account when determining driving routes, including the size of the road and the directness of the route. While we always work to provide the best directions, issues can arise due to unforeseen circumstances, such as when weather conditions affect the quality of roads. We encourage all drivers to follow local laws, stay attentive, and use their best judgment while driving.”
Why would I stay attentive and use my best judgment when I can just blindly do whatever the phones tells me?