Google map is certainly a great tool for navigation and has helped me in lot ways for a safe reach. But recently, after a scaring adventourous journey, "advised" by google, I learnt that we shouldnt be too much depending on technology.
I have to travel to Bangalore very often(fornightly) for official/personal reasons. Recently I took a ride with my family to Bangalore and wanted to go the shortest way, since it was a one day return journey.
I started from Chennai and was trying connect to Bangalore Highway from GST road.
Google map showed me the shortest way to connect by taking a local route for around 6-7 kms and then it was able to connect me to the Bangalore chennai Highway promptly.
But my experience in travelling that local route was not great. It was almost 20 feet road with lots of buses standing at every stops possible and hence I had to wait behind the bus every time.
On my next trip(ie. last weekend), thought, I shall skip taking that local route and travelled straight rather than taking that right turn which leads to local road. I presumed Google would "recalculate" and show me the new navigation path.
for a long time, Google kept insisting me to "take a U turn" and follow the earlier route. I guess it got frustrated that I didnt follow his advice(:-) that he gave me a lengthy route for a connection to the highway. Nothing wrong - Google had no other option to connect, but when we traversed that route we thought we made the greatest mistake in life.
for the next 20-25 mins our hearts thumped heavily since it was a totally abandoned area. It was a vacant land with bushes here and there.Though there was a route it was a mud-road with lots of stones and gravels constantly crushing with my tire.
It was around 10 am under the scorchy heat that I had to undergo this pain. I have read that miscreants - dacoits/anti-socials choose such places to group or even to hide their "earnings" and all along with a great fear that the tire might burst anytime due to road condition, we had to pass the time simply by driving through and hoping that we would see atleast one soul in the vicinity as soon as possible. Had the tire punctured or somebody intruded with wrong intentions we cant shout or call anyone - obviously there was no signal.
Somehow, after 20 mins Google connected us to a village -the road was good but I dont think people use it to connect to highway- mostly I could see 2 wheelers.
After around 35 mins, I got connected to the Walajpet, just near the toll. Almost our life came back only after we reached the highway.
LESSON: Google is certainly a good tool. But it certainly does not take the road conditions / time / worst case scenarios that could happen while travelling. In US, it is different - the roads are properly marked and each road has an identity. But in India, many time it says " take a right turn to "the Road" " since he himself does not know what road it is as it is not named.
Lesson is that we need to make a proper preparation before travelling by looking at the satellite map also(which will show if you are travelling on a desert or a forest) and think of other alternatives(like "lets go back" or " lets inform someone before we take this route" or share the route with friends).
Remember, Bangalore to chennai is not an adventurous route. people travel almost every day and its a busy road. Even in such roads, the alternatives are not safe. then, think about the roads which are not much known.
Its our LIFE. Even a small mistake could cost heavily. Take Care.