Many rely on GPS to get where they need to go, especially in an unfamiliar area. Satellites and the internet help keep map services updated and reliable. Drivers’ blind trust in GPS led 20 drivers off I-84 in Eastern Oregon onto a forest service road covered in deep snow.

It happened on November 20 when The Union County Sheriff’s Office received a satellite SOS signal from a driver’s iPhone on Ruckle Road. The road’s notorious difficulty in winter did not surprise authorities and rescuers.

Rescue personnel picked up more signals after the Sheriff’s office dispatched them. Then more came. And some more. Before they knew it, 20 SOS signals came from the same area.

The Drivers used GPS to avoid traffic

All 20 drivers said their GPS redirected them to Ruckle Road to avoid traffic and road closures, leaving them stuck in deep snow while they waited for help.

The Sheriff’s department realized how many people were stuck and contacted the Union County Public Works office. The office sent a truck to plow a path back to the highway.

The Union County Office warned drivers to be more aware of their surroundings, as GPS systems can make mistakes.

“This incident serves as an important reminder of the need to carefully evaluate, and often not follow, GPS-provided directions, especially in winter months,” a spokesperson told KOIN.

“The interstate and highways are the best routes through our region during winter conditions, and if they are closed due to weather, or weather-related crashes, it is almost certainly ill-advised and very dangerous to attempt alternate travel routes.”

ODOT says to be wary of reroutes on mountain passes

For Thanksgiving week, the Oregon Department of Transportation issued a statement to drivers heading over the Mt. Hood National Forest mountain pass.

“Most navigation tools don’t take current road or weather conditions into consideration. They may direct you onto remote roads that are neither maintained nor passable in all weather conditions,” the agency wrote.

“If you are not familiar with an area and current road conditions, stay on state roads and don’t attempt detours onto roads you don’t know.”