A few months ago, the San Francisco Chronicle documented a subtle shift in how Waymo robotaxis were navigating the roads: they were driving more like humans. Their behavior was more “assertive,” honking at drivers that cut them off, and getting a rolling start while waiting for a pedestrian to finish crossing the street. These weren’t just an aesthetic change — Waymo bragged that its cars’ human qualities actually made them safer.
But maybe they’re a little too human. Now, the robotaxis are getting pulled over like your average driver, too.
On Friday night, cops in the Bay Area city of San Bruno who were on the lookout for drunk drivers stopped a car after it made an illegal U-turn at a traffic light — only to realize there was no one in the driver’s seat. There was no smell of booze or someone slurring their words, either. It was a Waymo robotaxi blowing off traffic laws like many a human driver when it’s late out.
“No driver, no hands, no clue,” the police department wrote in a social media post about the incident, per the Chronicle’s reporting.
The self-driving cab, however, didn’t get dinged like you or us. Since there was no one operating the vehicle, the cops couldn’t issue a citation. But they did reach out to Waymo’s parent company Google to let them know about the glitch.
“Our citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot,'” the department said.
This certainly isn’t the first time that the autonomous vehicles have had a run in with the law. Last year, Phoenix police pulled over a Waymo after it veered into oncoming traffic and blew through a red light.
They’ve exhibited plenty of weird driving habits, too, like endlessly driving in circles after getting stuck in a roundabout, or congregating in parking lots and honking at each other, or constantly hanging out in front of one family’s house with no explanation.
Some incidents have been serious. A Waymo ran over a dog, and another struck a bicyclist, causing a brain and spine injury.
Stuff like that hasn’t exactly endeared the cabs to many residents, who’ve resorted to coning off their neighborhoods to keep the Waymos at bay — when they aren’t burning them. They’ll surely be thrilled to hear that the cabs can also blunder around like a drunk idiot and not even get so much as a ticket.
More on robotaxis: Waymo Says There’s a Perfect Reasonable Explanation for Its Car Roaming a Golf Course