A glitch in one of the most popular navigation apps left more than a dozen drivers stranded this week on a snowy road near Mount Ashland.
Jackson County Search and Rescue was called out 11 times Friday for vehicles stuck on Colestin Road after drivers followed directions on Apple Maps, according to Sgt. Shawn Richards.
“Right now we’ve got everyone turned around, but it’s still very much an issue,” Richards said.
As of Friday afternoon, Apple Maps, the default navigation app on iPhone models, still routed travelers heading to California to take Colestin Road because it believes Interstate 5 is closed at the California border. Google Maps, however, correctly instructs drivers to stay on the interstate.
I-5 is open, according to Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Gary Leaming. He said ODOT put a message that read, “Siskiyou Pass open” on its large reader boards near exit 14 and Hilt in light of Apple’s mistake.
Messages to Apple weren’t immediately returned Friday.
Three families were pulled out of the snow on Colestin Road Thursday night, and a semi-trailer jackknifed while trying to exit the freeway at the Mount Ashland exit while following the app’s directions, according to Leaming.
Because of the glitch, Colestin Rural Fire District has posted signs near Exit 6 and the California border, according to Cheri Avgeris, wife of Fire Chief Steve Avgeris.
Vehicles that were routed to the steep, narrow, mountain pass have included two-wheel-drive cars, motor homes, rental cars and U-Haul trucks, Cheri Avgeris said.
The pass has about 2-1/2 lanes open because of the snow, and temperatures Thursday night were -3 degrees, with a high Friday of 14 degrees. Roads are “icy, really icy,” she said.
Further compounding the danger is that cell service is spotty in the area, Avgeris said, and telephone service could be miles away.
She noted that James Kim, who died in rural Josephine County in 2006 while following a GPS route in the snow, also lacked cell service.
Richards said drivers should use GPS devices and apps only as an assist.
“You have to use all your senses,” Richards said. “Turning off of dry freeway? It’s probably inaccurate. You should turn around.”
Leaming advised drivers not to trust GPS mapping systems, especially in winter. Stay on state highways that are maintained, stop and ask questions, and use tripcheck.com, he said.
