Police in Victoria, Australia, have urged travelers to stop using Apple Maps after rescuing several people stranded in a national park, misdirected by Apple's new iOS 6 Maps app. "Mildura Police are urging motorists to be careful when relying on the mapping system on the Apple iPhones operating on the iOS 6 system after a number of motorists were directed off the beaten track in recent weeks," the Victoria Police said in a statement.
The Victorian police have contacted Apple after inaccurate directions in the mobile mapping system led drivers off target some 70 kilometers and put them in a potentially life threatening situation at a national park, The Next Web reported. The incorrect data left some travelers stranded in the Murray-Sunset National Park without food or water for up to 24 hours. Bad cell coverage in the area forced some travelers to walk long distances through the dangerous terrain to call the authorities for rescue. Though no causalities were reported, the authorities are concerned that inaccuracies in the mapping system can cause potentially life threatening issues due to lack of water and harsh temperatures at the park.
"Local police have been called to assist distressed motorists who have become stranded within the Murray-Sunset National Park after following directions on their Apple iPhone," the police said.
Tests on the mapping system by the police confirmed that the maps app lists Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park, approximately 70km away from the actual location of Mildura. "Police have contacted Apple in relation to the issue and hope the matter is rectified promptly to ensure the safety of motorists travelling to Mildura. Anyone travelling to Mildura or other locations within Victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified," the statement said.
Apple's attempt to topple Google maps with its own mapping system has backfired and the Cupertino-based tech titan's mapping system came under serious criticism over its inaccurate date and imagery glitches ever since Google Maps were replaced on iOS devices. The errors in the program forced CEO Tim Cook to publicly apologize to customers and may have prompted the ouster of iOS chief Scott Forstall.
