--- title: "People Are Road Raging At Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars" description: "Local Arizona news reports that there have been dozens of incidents of people abusing Waymo's autonomous cars, and threatening Waymo's safety drivers." date: "2018-12-12" modified: "2018-12-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/people-road-raging-waymo-self-driving-cars" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" tags: - "arizona" - "Autonomous Cars" - "waymo" --- # People Are Road Raging At Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars ![]() *\Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins/Waymo\* ## Road Rage The streets are becoming unsafe for self-driving cars. Police have responded to "dozens of calls regarding people threatening and harassing Waymo vans," *Arizona Central* [reports](). There have at least 21 incidents, according to the news report, in which safety drivers — human "passengers" behind the wheel, assigned to oversee the driving of each of Waymo's autonomous vehicles — were harassed in some way or another. The news comes after the Alphabet-owned company [recently launched]() the first-ever self-driving taxi service for paying customers in Arizona. ## Throwing Rocks The abusive behavior includes motorists yelling at Waymo's cars, throwing rocks at them, or slashing their tires. There was even an incident where a bearded man pulled a handgun at a Waymo safety driver. "We believe a key element of local engagement has been our ongoing work with the communities in which we drive, including Arizona law enforcement and first responders,” reads a [statement from Waymo](), sent to *Arizona Central.* Safety drivers are trained to handle these kinds of situations, and are instructed to call Waymo before 911, depending on the situation, according to [police reports](). ## Hating the Machine So why all the hate? A lot of the reported incidents involved people who were heavily intoxicated or, in the instance involving the handgun, suffering from dementia. But why Waymo in particular? A lot of the discontent stems from Waymo's position in the market as a company that's planning on taking people's jobs, according to information technologies lecturer at Arizona State University Phil Simon. "This stuff is happening fast and a lot of people are concerned that technology is going to run them out of a job," Simon [told]() *Arizona Central*. "There are always winners and losers, and these are probably people who are afraid and this is a way for them to fight back in some small, futile way," says Simon. **READ MORE:** [A slashed tire, a pointed gun, bullies on the road: Why do Waymo self-driving vans get so much hate?]() \[Arizona Central\] ***More on Waymo: [Waymo Has Officially Launched a Self-Driving Taxi Service]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()