- Google Maps has been accused of showing incorrect road information in several cases, resulting in major accidents and even deaths.
In a tragic incident in Uttar Pradesh, three people died when Google Maps wrongly took their car to an under-construction bridge, causing the vehicle to fall into a river. The incident took place in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday when the victims were on their way to attend a wedding. They were relying on Google Maps to reach the venue, when the GPS took them to an incomplete flyover.
This incident has once again raised questions on the credibility of Google Maps. It is one of the most popular and widely used navigation systems by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. However, in many cases, navigation systems have been accused of showing incorrect data, resulting in major accidents like the latest one in UP.
Earlier this year, a Ford Endeavor SUV in Telangana literally fell into a canal after Google Maps misled the driver. In another incident, a man in the US lost his life because Google Maps gave him wrong route information, leading him to a broken bridge. Similar incidents have happened all over the world, raising questions on the reliability of this navigation system.
Why can't Google Maps be blindly trusted?
Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze, among other navigation applications, have become an indispensable weapon of the modern driver. These navigation applications make it convenient to navigate to a specific location. Applications like Google Maps help drivers navigate to their destination with turn-by-turn navigation instructions.
However, despite the convenience they bring, the Achilles heel of these navigation applications is the map data. Despite developers trying to make maps as accurate as possible, applications do not always show accurate information. There are disruptions, such as incomplete roads and construction work, that applications may not be fully aware of. Furthermore, despite some applications like Waze offering data crowdsourcing in an effort to make changes in real time, updating map data in real time is still impossible at some point.
In such cases, it is always best to trust the locals rather than blindly trust navigation applications, as verbal information is still more accurate than map data, especially in remote locations.
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First publication date: 25 November 2024, 10:37 am IST