Australian Police Now Warn Against Using Google Maps

After deeming Apple’s Maps as “potentially life-threatening,” Australian authorities now have their eye on Google’s own mapping service. According to the latest reports from Victorian police, Google’s Maps app poses the same safety concerns.

Launched earlier today in the iTunes App Store as a free download rivaling Apple’s own solution, Google Maps “are putting people's lives at risk along the Great Ocean Road and in the southern Otways,” according to Australia’s ABC.

The report quotes Sergeant Nick Buenen as saying that “trucks, buses and tourists are being directed down Wild Dog Road, which is a one-way track, not built for heavy traffic.”

VicRoads has denied responsibility and Google has yet to respond to these allegations.

Buenen says, “My issue is it's a significant safety issue for tourists [and] locals, who are getting the wrong information from their GPSs. My concern is that one day we're going to be at the coroners court [being asked] well what did you do about it.”

“We're trying to do something about it, but if a 22-seater bus rolls off Wild Dog Road today, [there wouldn't be] the multi-agency response to this issue that I would like,” he tells reporters.

Earlier this week, reports broke out that Apple Maps misdirected motorists to a wilderness area 70 Km (44 miles) away from their desired destination – Mildura, Victoria.

Mildura police reportedly had to rescue six stranded tourists from the area where water is scarce, and so is cell phone reception. Because of this, they deemed Apple Maps as “potentially life-threatening.”

Apple quickly fixed the glitch programming iOS Maps to display Mildura where it’s actually located in the state of Victoria, but the harm has been done.

While Google can teach Apple a thing or two about mapping, it appears that both Maps applications are susceptible to such issues.