Google Maps suggestion left travellers stranded in desert for hours

NEW DELHI: A group of travellers in the US was left stranded in the desert for hours after allegedly taking a shortcut suggested by Google Maps.

To avoid traffic, the travellers group from California allegedly took Google Maps' suggestion when they were returning to Los Angeles from Las Vegas on November 19, reports SFGate. While driving back to Los Angeles from a Formula 1 race in Las Vegas, Shelby Easler, her brother Austin, and their partners followed suggestions by Google Maps to avoid the major highway connecting the two cities.

The app suggested the group to take an alternate route to avoid the dust storm that caused major traffic delays on the Interstate 15 highway.

However, the route took the group into Nevada’s deserts, according to the report.

“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,” Easler was quoted as saying.

Easler and her family were not the only ones who were unaware of this. Her TikTok video showed a trail of cars stuck on the same road.

“The first driver that turned around talked to us to tell us that the road gets washed out the higher into the mountain you get, and we have to turn around since the path leads nowhere. He was in a huge truck and was just driving straight through the bushes and shrubs to let people know to turn around,” Easler said.

The group felt 'trapped' so they called 911 for the rescue, but the California Highway Patrol could not help as it was dealing with a dust storm emergency.

They then contacted a towing company that sent trucks and rescued Easler's car as well as the other stranded vehicles.

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