As instances of GPS misleading people to dangerous routes rise, experts warn of bugs in navigation apps and the legal recourse
Road navigation apps have become an intricate part of our lives. They make travel easy and fast, but not necessarily safe! There are several reports of people being misdirected by GPS and road map apps onto deserted roads, cliffs, dangerous routes, jungles, under-construction bridges, rivers, and even creeks.
Deadly Detours
Last year, a group of tourists from Telangana drove into a canal in Kerala after a leading navigation map misguided them. In January 2025, ‘Google Maps’ allegedly misdirected a team of Assam police in pursuit of a criminal into Nagaland. Worse, two doctors from Kerala died in 2023 after a road map app led them into a river.
In July 2025, a woman in Navi Mumbai had a narrow escape after her Audi car plunged into the Panvel Creek near Dhruvatara Jetty. She was allegedly following Google Maps. Fortunately, the coastal police rescued her just in time.
Soon after the mishap, Google issued an official statement saying: “We wish to clarify that the road under the bridge is not mapped for navigation in Google Maps, and our internal review confirms that Maps did not recommend a route through it. The only route Google Maps provides in this area is through the Belapur Bridge over the Panvel Creek. We built Google Maps with safety and reliability in mind and will continue to focus on delivering a high-quality navigation experience to people everywhere.”
Praveen Gulati, a Delhi-based professional recalls his ‘faster route’ nightmare with a road map app. Gulati says, “The app directed me through strange, unfamiliar roads that felt deserted and disconnected from reality. I was stuck, anxious and regretting why I trusted the app.”
A Bumpy Ride
Experts opine that mapping roads, bridges, bylanes, service roads, and under-construction stretches in a vast country like India with its treacherous terrains is not an easy task.
Himanshu Yadav, a Cybersecurity and Tech Expert, says that navigation apps are smart, but they’re far from perfect. Yadav explains that on opening any map-based application, the phone doesn’t simply depend on GPS locators. “Your phone also relies on nearby mobile towers, Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth signals to guess where you are and where you are heading,” Yadav says. It’s here that flaws and glitches occur. Reasons could vary from bad or weak signal pockets to outdated maps. Himanshu adds, “Just like any other software, navigation apps too have bugs. Sometimes they read old data and guide you based on those locations fed in.”
Road To Nowhere
Madhu Naik, an MSW student and working professional from Delhi, describes GPS apps as both a “boon and a bane”. Madhu relies on them to locate cafes, bus stops or cab spots. However, a recent trek across Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand shook Madhu’s confidence. “The app tried guiding me through dangerous roads and at times would show routes that did not exist,” Madhu says. These GPS glitches are prevalent in urban areas as well. Navdisha Gulati, a law student from Mumbai, says that GPS is the most misleading technological innovation. The app took Gulati to a building with the same name, but in the wrong direction, 24 km away.
Legal Recourse
Many people wonder if there is legal recourse when road navigation maps mislead and cause accidents. Advocate Kritika Oberoi says, “Accidents caused by digital navigation tools are answerable to such victims or their families.” The best possible solution here is by way of compensation reliefs. The only condition to fulfil here would be that the victim claiming compensation would have to prove that the directions provided by the concerned GPS app directly led to the accident. And that such an accident was caused due to inaccuracies or faulty systems in the app. Kritika cautions, “Many of these companies often try to avoid liability by relying on their terms and conditions, which typically shun away responsibility for unforeseen hazards.”
However, most of the GPS-based apps usually don’t fall under the ambit of vicarious liability. Advocate Roshni Lachh-wani, Intellexsys Legal Solutions, Mumbai, says, “Such a liability is unlikely to arise because data sources, whether user contributions, local governmental policies or data providers, are not ‘employees’ but agents in the legal sense
of things.” In terms of the GPS provider or app owner having actual knowledge of certain faults in the app, they need to issue warnings. Roshni explains that if individuals feel that certain navigation apps aren’t exercising due caution, they can approach the courts and file a negligence claim. This most likely can be done when there have been multiple reports from authorities reporting the same issue by a given navigation app.
Safe Journeys!
Being aware may be a better way out. Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ajeet Madhavrao Gopchade has highlighted accidents caused due to Google Maps errors in Parliament. Gopchade has even urged Indian start-ups to collaborate with ISRO and others to come up with “Swadeshi” road mapping apps.
Till then, the next time your GPS promises a ‘faster route.’ Take a PAUSE. Look around and ask someone. The way forward lies in taking a step back and blending technology with local wisdom in terms of routes and roads!
Wrong Way, Fatal End
• In July 2025, a GPS app misled a Navi Mumbai woman driving an Audi car into the Panvel creek at night; luckily, she was rescued
• In 2025, Google Maps allegedly misled a team of the Assam police into Nagaland
• 3 people died in Bareilly, UP in 2024 after being misdirected by a navigation app’s ‘fastest route’ to reach a wedding venue
• 2 cars crashed in Hathras, UP, after a
GPS app misled the drivers to an under-construction highway.
• 2 doctors from Kerala died in
2023 after a navigation app led them into a river
• A man fell into a 30-ft drain and died in Noida in 2025 after being misled by a navigation app
