Google Maps Leaves SoCal Drivers Stranded In Nevada Desert

A group of Californians recently found themselves trapped in the Nevada desert thanks to Google Maps, according to SFGate.

Shelby Easler told the outlet how the navigation app steered herself and her fellow travelers off Interstate 15 due to a dust storm as they attempted Nov. 19 to get home to the Los Angeles area from Las Vegas. Assuming the app’s recommendation would be safer and faster, they followed its directions onto an off-road trail, accompanied by numerous other vehicles, SFGate reported.

Hours later, a tow truck came to their rescue, according to the outlet, but not before the off-road conditions started to remove their vehicle’s back right tire and affected its alignment.

“In the future,” she told SFGate, “I'll stick to the road I know and double-check somewhere else if the route seems sketchy.”

In a prepared statement, a Google spokesperson offered an apology.

“We apologize for the incident that happened last weekend, and can confirm that we’ll no longer route drivers traveling between Las Vegas and Barstow down those roads,” the spokesperson said. “Today, drivers making that trip are being routed through Interstate 15, which has been reopened.”