A handheld GPS typically offers a few options: (a) fastest route, (b) simplest route, (c) shortest route. These problems happen to people who pick (c) or worse, pick (c) with an added &quot;avoid major roads&quot; modifier. Which can be a great option if you are hiking or biking or sightseeing and want to see the &quot;real country&quot; and don&#x27;t care how long the trip takes or how bad the roads are.<p>The main thing this says for autonomous cars is: don&#x27;t do that. If the routing algorithm has a bias towards picking highways and major roads and roads you&#x27;ve used before, this problem should virtually never come up.