Google Maps directed drivers to dangerous, closed, or poorly maintained mountain roads during a severe snowstorm in the Lake Tahoe area, causing multiple people to become stranded and requiring rescue operations.
During a severe snowstorm in the Lake Tahoe area in December, Google Maps and Waze navigation applications directed multiple drivers to dangerous alternate routes when major highways I-80 and Highway 50 were closed. Wendy Becktold, driving a rented Toyota Corolla to visit a relative in Reno, was routed by Google Maps onto the closed Quincy-La Porte Road (County Road 511) in Plumas County, California, along with many other vehicles following the same GPS directions. A family of five from Southern California became stranded for two hours on a dirt road in Washoe County, Nevada, after their GPS directed them to ignore illuminated warning signs on the Dog Valley-Henness Pass Roads. From November 2020 to February of the previous year, emergency responders conducted 11 rescues on the same route due to GPS-directed drivers. The incident occurred during record-setting snowfall, with over 17 feet accumulating in December. Google acknowledged the issue and stated they were working to update routes using information from local authorities, while Caltrans warned against overreliance on GPS apps for finding alternate routes during highway closures.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
AI systems that fail to perform reliably or effectively under varying conditions, exposing them to errors and failures that can have significant consequences, especially in critical applications or areas that require moral reasoning.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed