Why does this happen so often on the left coast?

I live in the area where that couple left the interstate, so I know the road they went on,, Have driven it most of the way before,, GPS had them take some turns that they didn't need to take,, they were on a good all weather gravel road that would have taken them right to a main hwy. I checked mapquest and asked for the shortest route,, it took me the way they went, shortest time kept me on the main hwys. We have had a number of people get lost in this area, because their GPS told them to go that way. If your going uphill and the snow is getting deeper,,, TURN AROUND. Or the road is getting all overgrown, TURN AROUND. Think it is called common sense, which I find a lot of people anymore don't have.