A major glitch in Google Maps led to widespread confusion across large regions of Germany—especially in the west, north, southwest, and central areas—after highways were mistakenly marked as closed on the app.

Google Maps triggers traffic chaos in Germany

During the busy holiday season, when travel traffic peaks, many highways appeared as closed with red symbols on users’ screens. This incorrect information wasn’t limited to Germany; similar issues were reported in parts of Belgium and the Netherlands as well.

As drivers relied on the app’s alternative routes to avoid the false closures, rural roads and narrow passages became heavily congested. Long queues of vehicles formed in areas that usually experience light traffic.

Since Apple Maps, Waze, and official traffic services did not show any such closures, the issue specifically affected Google Maps users. Google has not made a clear public statement about the error, which lasted for about two hours and directly impacted thousands of people.

A brief update from Google mentioned that a technical issue had temporarily caused incorrect road closures to appear on the map, but it has since been resolved. Experts suggest such problems stem from Google Maps’ increasing reliance on external data sources and AI-driven interpretations.

This recent incident in Germany has once again raised concerns about the reliability of AI-powered mapping services.
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