Waze Navigates Motorists into Wildfires

During wildfires in Southern California in December 2017, navigation apps including Waze and Google Maps were directing drivers into evacuation areas and causing congestion where officials were ordering streets closed. The Creek and Skirball fires caused large-scale evacuations of streets and neighborhoods, and the apps were directing drivers to those areas because the data indicated there was no traffic there. Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz noted that drivers' phones were navigating them into fire zones, onto streets they weren't familiar with, steering them into life-threatening danger and causing congestion where public safety officials were ordering streets cleared so residents under evacuation orders could safely get out and fire equipment could get in. The Los Angeles Police Department asked drivers to avoid navigation apps, which were steering users onto more open routes in neighborhoods that were on fire. Waze spokesperson Chelsea Russo said they worked hard Wednesday afternoon to get maps up to date and accurate, and the app worked with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to close around 110 dangerous road segments. The apps' algorithms were attracted to empty roads that appeared traffic-free, not recognizing that they were empty due to fire danger rather than normal traffic conditions.