Title is borderline clickbait. Google Maps routed people through what turned out to be a dirt road. It just so happened that recent rains made the road muddy and impassable for smaller cars... Then once a few cars got stuck, a traffic jam formed behind them.
Article doesn't indicate the road is private. How do you know?
As a backcountry motorcyclist I'm accustomed to coming upon roads that are "private" because some rancher decided to hang a sign but in reality it's a public right-of-way. Also as a backcountry motorcyclist I'm smart enough to not drive a Prius down a mud trail. Not sure what is wrong with people today. We have more information than ever, we should be making better decisions than ever, but the truth is the opposite.
Be careful ignoring those "private" signs though. I ignored such a sign in south Texas, took a dirt road (in a 4x4) that was mapped as a public road (both on paper and Google), only to have a rifle shot cross my path about 5 minutes later.
Ended up having a fairly civil conversation with the "owner" before turning around, but he was adamant that I was on private property and would not be allowed to continue.
That sounds extreme, but does indeed play into the stereotype of a Texas rancher. I'm in Canada, and if you shoot someone on your land who's not threatening you with a weapon - chances are you will go to jail because it's not reasonable force.
It is certainly a bit extreme. To be fair, it was clearly a warning shot fired a "safe" distance ahead of me. Most of the folks I've met in rural Texas aren't itching to shoot anyone and everyone, but they do value privacy to an extreme and will go to great lengths to protect what is (in their mind) theirs.
Google didn't actually route me down this road. I initially found it on a paper map, and I confirmed it's continued existence/public status via Google Maps as my paper map was a few years old.
It was ~15 miles shorter than the highway route, but I can't imagine its actually a shorter travel time in anything short of a very well equipped 4x4. I just happen to like dirt roads.
I also did not press him for details, so I don't know if this was a recurring issue or not.
In Texas the castle doctrine is very much alive. As was stated most folks are very nice but it is within their right to stop that one trespassing driver from ever driving again.
Not sure they care about Googles influence at all.
Texas Penal code specifically uses the term "habitation", not "property" when discussing the use of deadly force. If some jackass is shooting at strangers who wandered onto his property, he's committing a felony.
See Texas Penal Code §9.31 (castle doctrine as it relates to trespass and non-deadly force) and §9.32 (castle doctrine as it relates to habitation and deadly force).
The castle doctrine does apply to living areas. True.
There are other codes however allowing for the use of deadly force
is also justified in using deadly force if: (1) he reasonably believes that it is necessary to use force to prevent or terminate the trespass; and (2) he reasonably believes deadly force is necessary to prevent the trespasser from committing certain crimes, such as arson, burglary, or robbery.
Just stating a word of caution. Life is different than the city and laws vary but landowners have significant rights.
In the West most "ranchers" are just running herds on BLM leases. It is not "their property" by any definition. By contrast virtually all ranches in Texas are on private holdings.
That it's considered acceptable in Texas (and much of the west) to leap straight to "there's somebody on my property; if I don't shoot'em, I'm a dead man" is bonkers to me.
It's really not. The one guy in this thread who keeps trying to say that is, I think, either mistaken (from movies or whatever) or is trying to paint an exaggerated portrait of rural life such that it seems extreme to urban-living folks; either way, it's not the case.
You don't go around shooting people you see on your property. "You did WHAT Jim? Because you saw some guy out in the cotton?"
(Now watch that same individual in this thread come back and say, "well, it's not like that in cotton country, but where they're ranching..." and...no.)
No where did I condone shooting or state it was a preferred method of dealing with people in rural areas.
What I am cautioning some people about is living in southern AZ (and I am sure TX) there are specific dangers and police are sometimes over an hour away. ( most of the time at least 30 minutes)
Drug runners and coyotes do operate out here and if you interact with someone who lives in an area like this they see that stuff.
Following your GPS and ending up in a wash you shouldnt be in can create a situation where a landowner, who knows police arent coming anytime soon to protect him, can be a bit nervous.
Most people have guns in their trucks out here too.
It is not the same as a city but nowhere did I say folks out in the country are gunning to shoot someone.
I did say be careful. Not all of the news about bad stuff on the border is dramatized.
Edit
Not to mention you might run into the drug runner or coyote who is already not following laws
With the constant trickle of folks who do illegal things around you and on your property. Who shoot at you if you get close to a car they abandon on your property.
How is it hard to see ? Ever been shot at walking around what amounts to your extended backyard ?
IMO that's the issue. People get so overly confident that the source of that information is never wrong so they blindly trust it. It's if the more info someone has the less critical thinking they will do.
A front wheel drive car at speed is actually pretty decent on a lot of terrain that I think you'd be hesitant about on your motorcycle - loose sand, mud, etc. The problem is when it stops and settles in, it's done moving on its own.
