Tourists left stranded in Nevada desert after Google Maps takes them on shortcut
Topics: US News, Cars, Google Maps, Google, Technology
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@justdoingshelbythings
Topics: US News, Cars, Google Maps, Google, Technology
Some unfortunate tourists left stranded in the Nevada desert after being led astray by Google Maps which took them on an apparent 'shortcut'.
Last weekend, a group of Los Angeles natives were travelling back from Las Vegas, Nevada after enjoying the not so successful Las Vegas Grand Prix.
TikToker Shelby Easler, who was a part of the Californian party, took to the platform earlier this week to post about her less-than-successful journey.
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Ahead of their travel back to the West Coast on Sunday (19 November), they replied on Google Maps to get them seamlessly from A to B.
However, the navigation system supposedly advised the group to take a quicker off-road route instead of travelling down Interstate 15, which was experiencing major dust storm delays.
Discussing the incident over Instagram, Easler told SFGATE: “We ironically thought it would be a safer option, and it did say it would be 50 minutes faster.
“It was our first time driving to/from Vegas, so we didn't know that you can really only take the I-15 back and forth.”
In the content creator’s now-viral TikTok post, Easler and her troop were seen driving on an off-road trail in the desert.
The clip also shows another vehicle up front, which presumably has also followed the route allegedly recommended by Google.
It’s said that the group called emergency services due to feeling ‘trapped’, but were reportedly told that personnel were preoccupied with the ongoing dust storm.
In another TikTok update, Easler revealed that the alternative route suggested to her family was almost ‘two hours out of the way’ and it eventually led them to a gravel road.
“The path was like dug into the ground, so we couldn’t really turn around. There were cars in front of us, cars behind us so we kind of got pinned.
“And because our navigation said we were going three miles, making a left we assumed we were going to hit a road eventually.”
She also claimed that her car was ‘sideways’ while travelling on the off-road route and that they were forced to drive over ‘bushes and rocks’ before the vehicle broke down.
Easler claims that the car was so ‘scratched up’ that the family ended up flying out to LA as it couldn’t get them home. She also said that the vehicle in question is ‘still in Vegas’.
She added to SFGATE: “In the future, I’ll stick to the road I know and double-check somewhere else if the route seems sketchy.”
In response to the allegations, Google told The New York Post: “During unpredictable conditions, we work as quickly as possible to update routing based on information from local authorities and sudden changes to driving patterns.
“We’re investigating the issue that happened over the weekend, and can confirm that we’re routing drivers through Interstate 15 since it’s been reopened.”
UNILAD has contacted Google for further comment.