Associated Incidents
Google's navigation app, Waze, is directing some drivers right into neighborhoods where wildfires in Southern California have forced road closures and evacuations, USA Today reported Thursday.
Roads closed as a result of the wind-whipped fires have no traffic on them, apparently making them attractive to Waze's algorithms, the outlet reported. Waze says it has been working to correct the issue, USA Today reported.
A spokeswoman told the outlet the app has been in contact with local authorities to correctly label which roads are off limits within several hours of their closure.
"We worked really hard Wednesday afternoon to get our maps up to date and accurate," Waze spokeswoman Chelsea Russo told USA Today.
Users did not hold back on their criticism — and tweeted out warnings to other drivers.
I don't trust Waze. It just told me I could save 8 minutes by driving right thru a wild fire off the 405 Freeway. — Andy Ruther (@AndyRuther) December 6, 2017