Google Maps Fail: Goa Tourist's Kia Seltos Gets Stuck On Church Steps

When you travel to a new place, it has now become a habit to actually rely on Google Maps or navigation. We often trust the direction shown on the phone blindly, and that often leads to trouble. We have come across several instances where Google Maps has misguided travellers and forced them to drive to places where there is no road. One such incident has now been reported from Goa, where a tourist travelling in a Kia Seltos drove the car into the steps of a church after he followed Google Maps.

The image has been shared by Herald Goa on their X profile. The post mentions that the incident took place in Goa’s Canacona. The tourists from Telangana were following Google Maps. The tourists were travelling in a Kia Seltos and were probably relying on the maps to explore local sightseeing spots.

As they were not familiar with the roads, they decided to rely on the maps. According to reports, the incident happened at St. Thereza of Jesus Church at Chaudi. The driver drove his car over the steps in a bid to proceed to the main road.

The navigation app showed the car driver a route from the old bus stand in Chaudi. It took the car through a narrow road behind the municipal garden, which goes parallel to the NH66 towards the north, then wrongly followed the Google-announced locations, and entered the church compound, before proceeding on the steps to come back on the main road (NH66).

As seen in the pictures here, the car was stuck on the stairs as we feel the driver, in a bid to get back on the road, didn’t realise that there was a set of stairs ahead of him. The other possibility is that the driver was too confident, as he thought his so-called SUV could drive over the stairs without any issues.

After the car got stuck on the stairs, locals gathered around and helped the tourist. They helped the owner push the car back into the church compound. The tourist or the driver was then guided properly so that he could join the main road without any issues. The tourist then proceeded towards Margao.

Following Google Maps in a new location has now become a natural thing to do. However, people often forget the fact that these maps are often not updated, and they even show routes that do not exist. In such cases, it is always a good idea to get in touch with a local to know the location.

This way you won’t have to worry about getting lost, as the locals often share the best route, which is not too confusing. This is not the first time we have come across a video or an incident like this.

In fact, there have been cases where Google Maps has caused accidents after directing cars onto closed roads and bridges. Last year, we came across a case where a family travelling in a Grand i10 Nios was misled by Google Maps onto an under-construction highway at night. The car crashed into a ditch on the highway.

Multiple accidents happened in a similar manner on the same highway. There was also a case where a family on a road trip, following Google Maps, was stranded in the middle of a jungle.