A nurse in Canada died because Google maps sent him on a snowmobile/quad trail and his truck broke through a wood bridge…
Comment on Getting stuck in the bush: Or how I learned not to be an idiot or trust google maps.
Ilandar@aussie.zone 1 month ago
I’m glad you got out of it unscathed. This has been an issue in Australia for a long time (I recall a news article about a farmer who constantly had tourists turning up unannounced on his property because they were blindly following Google or Apple Maps). Without wanting to make you feel too guilty, every time I read one of these stories I’m just astounded that a) people aren’t consulting maps before travelling rurally to get a rough idea of where they need to go and b) that people don’t pull over and do this the moment something seems off.
Maybe it’s because I’m a bit older (not actually old, just not raised by smartphones age) or because I went on many camping trips pre-smartphone as a kid and watched the adults in my family navigate using real maps (which they also taught me how to read) but I would never in a million years rely solely on GPS navigation if I was driving somewhere for the first time - particularly if it was a rural area. Even in metropolitan areas, I will always do a quick scan of main roads and landmarks first to get a rough imprint of where I need to go so I can focus on driving and only rely on the GPS at the very end.
Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Ilandar@aussie.zone 1 month ago
Wow, that’s definitely one of the more extreme ones I’ve heard. His employer even had a recommended route that he ignored because the Google Maps route was supposedly quicker. Crazy.
Seagoon_@aussie.zone 1 month ago
yup, maps, real paper maps, read before you leave and take it with you
CameronDev@programming.dev 1 month ago
This isnt a gps specific problem though, its an inaccurate map problem. If the road isnt marked as 4wd only on the paper map you’d be in just as much trouble.
Although i guess the paper map might provide more traction than a gps when you wedge it under the wheel :D
Ilandar@aussie.zone 1 month ago
That’s not really true. If you are navigating via a physical map and you encounter something unusual, you refer back to the map. At that point you know a) where you are in relation to where you are going and b) that the map has an inaccuracy. Then you make an active decision to either continue on the same route or to find an alternate route. You can still get into trouble, but it will be because you made the choice to risk continuing on your current route instead of taking a different one.
The problem time and time again in these “misled by map app” stories is that the driver never pulls over and looks at the map in detail. They never search for an alternate route or even question whether they are on the best one. They have complete and total faith that their map application knows best and the constant audio prompts reinforce that, so they just keep driving and get themselves into a bad situation without failing any of the skill checks (for lack of a better term) that a physical map user would need to fail to reach the same point.
CameronDev@programming.dev 1 month ago
Nothing you said there is exclusive to paper maps. You can still stop and check the GPS when something is wrong. On a recent holiday I did exactly that when a scenic detour got a lot rougher than expected (It was even better, as i could use the satelite view to see that the road didnt just drive through a lake, which a paper map could not show).
There have been plenty of people who have followed paper maps to their deaths as well. You could argue that GPS has lowered the bar, but its not the map, its the navigator.
Ilandar@aussie.zone 1 month ago
I think you sort of missed the point I was making in the second paragraph there. A physical map does not offer real-time navigation or encourage to you continue on your current course in the way that map applications do. Most people who use physical maps do not read the map as they are driving, they read it before they start driving and then refer to it intermittently. As a result, people are more likely to refer to the map if something seems unusual because they might think they’ve misremembered the route and taken a wrong turn. In the same scenario, a navigation app reliant user has fewer barriers to continue on that route because the map is constantly reassuring them that they’re going in the right direction. You say it’s the navigator’s fault, but that’s just the way navigation apps are designed to be used. The entire point of them is that you don’t have to pull over and consult the map because it’s supposed to be constantly updating and correcting itself in real-time. That’s why people are so trusting in them.
RustyRaven@aussie.zone 1 month ago
This reminds me of a time I got lost - I followed the direction on a road sign to go from a tourist destination I had visited and it pointed me into a plantation where I got lost. Both paper and gps maps were inaccurate and a lot of road were not passable. I pulled over to check the map over and over but the roads didn’t match reality and I kept going in circles and it took me hours to get back out. Not quite as bad as trying to navigate the Epworth Hospital carpark but a close second.
Salvo@aussie.zone 1 month ago
I think you are right. In the end, Turn-By-Turn Navigation is just another driver assistance system that can be turned into a crutch, just like Automatic Transmissions and Automated Cruise Control.
The driver still needs to take responsibility for their driving.
That said, using Turn-By-Turn Navigation is much safer than having the driver flip through the Melways or VicRoads Directory and whilst driving, or flipping and folding a RoofTops map whilst driving.
WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 1 month ago
The problem has always been that Google doesn’t give a shit about user feedback, so it isn’t easy to report an error in Google maps. If you miss a turn, or get bogged down, it should ask for route feedback every time. Either way you should fuck Google and use OpenStreetMaps to evolve a better, non-proprietary, free, alternative.
In 2010 I punched in a waterfall and followed the route. The road was sealed and fine, but Google Maps sent me down the opposite side of a mountain range. When I arrived at the end of the road and it said to continue going straight down a driveway I stopped. Only took a minute for an old mate to show up and tell me that the waterfall was on the opposite side of the mountain and there’s no road to get there before sundown. It’s always done shit like this, and I don’t expect Google to ever care enough to stop shit like this from happening.