Need to get somewhere quick, caution be damned? Take a Waymo.
Early on Tuesday morning, a self-driving car driven by Waymo took its rider’s lives into its hands when it drove through a red light and directly into a violent police standoff. The incident occurred at an intersection in downtown Los Angeles, where police had made a felony stop after a chase through the city, NBC reported.
Footage shared by influencer Alex Choi shows a Waymo rolling past the row of squad cars without a care in the world, coming just feet away from the driver, who was lying face down on the asphalt, ostensibly complying with police.
In the video, officers can be heard yelling at the Waymo to clear the area. Instead it did the exact opposite, slowing to a crawl and trying to sidle up to the curb, right near where the suspect was being held at gunpoint.
“Go to your left! Go to your left!” an officer can be heard yelling as the driverless cab throws its right-side blinker on. Of course, the Waymo doesn’t respond to outside verbal commands.
NBC confirmed that no one was hurt, though the entire intersection was shut down for a little while.
In response to the incident, a company spokesperson told NBC that “safety is our highest priority at Waymo, both for people who choose to ride with us and with whom we share the streets. When we encounter unusual events like this one, we learn from them as we continue improving road safety and operating in dynamic cities.”
Elsewhere in California, Waymo has been plagued by operational issues. In San Francisco, for example, a Waymo vehicle ran over a beloved neighborhood cat, leading to intense scrutiny from local officials. Meanwhile in Santa Monica, two key Waymo charging lots were forced to halt overnight operations after nearby residents complained of round-the-clock noise and unnecessary traffic as a result of the company’s activity.
Each case just goes to show how complicated roadways can be. A human being can recognize the row of police sidled up to squad cars as something not to mosey past — but a self-driving cab evidently struggles with the concept. Given that police alone execute over 12,000 roadside operations every day in the US, Waymo’s handling of incidents like the one in LA will surely be a barometer to tell just how much they learn as time goes on.
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