Google Maps: watch out for directions in the mountains, GPS can kill you!

Following Google Maps directions in the mountains could cost you your life. In any case, this is what the John Muir Trust association, which specializes in the safeguard and surveillance of the Scottish massifs, affirms. According to her, Google’s app points out potentially deadly paths for hikers.

Although extremely convenient, GPS apps can sometimes play tricks on us. We remember, for example, this driver who finished his race in the Old Port of Marseille blindly following the route of his GPS. Or this Londoner deprived of deliveries for three years because of a problem with Google Maps.

But this time it turns out Google Maps directions could seriously endanger your life, especially when you are in the mountains. This is certainly what John Trust Muir, an association founded in 1983 in charge of the preservation and monitoring of the main Scottish massifs, affirms.

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Google Maps shows potentially fatal routes

According to the organization’s statements, Google Maps regularly displays dangerous and even potentially fatal routes for hikers looking to get to the top of the Ben nevis, the highest point in the British Isles with 1345 meters above sea level. “For those new to the mountain, it would seem perfectly logical to consult Google Maps for information on how to get to this mountain. However, even the most experienced climber would have difficulty following this route ”, says Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Advisor for Moutaineering Scotland.

According to her, the main route proposed by Google to reach the top “crosses very steep, rocky, trail-less terrain where even with good visibility it would be difficult to find a safe line. Add to that low clouds and rain and the line suggested by Google is potentially fatal ”.

Both organizations want Google is removing these dangerous routes. For its part, the Mountain View firm seems to have taken into account the concerns of two associations and assured our colleagues at CNN that it was examining the problem: “To help new and experienced hikers more easily find trails that suit their level, we will now be updating our routes to guide people directly to the Visitor Center, where they can chat with staff about the best trail to take ” .

Source: PhoneArena