The Danger Of Web Maps

from the not-so-safe dept

There have been plenty of stories about how the various online mapping services have led drivers astray with bad directions. However, the Wall Street Journal takes a look at one case, in particular, where the driving directions may have put people in danger. Apparently, the driving directions for rural areas aren't quite up to speed on what the roads are really like, and hotel operators in a small California coastal town have been worried that the online mapping services send customers on a narrow, winding, poorly lit, poorly paved road that goes on for fifty miles with no guard rails, sharp dropoffs, no pullouts and no mobile phone service. The hotels have their own (better) directions on their own websites, but many people are so used to relying on things like Yahoo Maps and Mapquest that they simply trust those directions. The various mapping services say they're working on fixing these things, but it takes time.

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