This string of occasions — none of which resulted in critical accidents — comes after Waymo’s important competitor, Normal Motors-owned Cruise, recalled its fleet of driverless automobiles final 12 months after hitting, dragging and gravely injuring a pedestrian who was flung into its path by a hit-and-run driver. The fallout from that crash has elevated the highlight on Waymo, now the lone firm making an attempt to develop 24/7 robotaxi service round California, regardless of sharp resistance from native officers.
“Waymo has turn out to be the standard-bearer for your complete robotaxi trade, for higher or for worse,” stated David Zipper, a senior fellow on the MIT Mobility Initiative. Whereas Waymo’s incidents are “nowhere close to what Cruise is accused of doing, there’s a disaster of confidence in autonomous car firms associated to security proper now.”
The California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC) delayed deciding whether or not Waymo may develop its service to incorporate a portion of a significant California freeway and in addition Los Angeles and San Mateo counties, pending “additional workers evaluate,” based on the regulator’s web site. Whereas Waymo stated the delay is part of the fee’s “commonplace and strong evaluate course of,” the postponement comes as officers from different localities worry changing into like San Francisco — the place self-driving automobiles have disrupted emergency scenes, held up site visitors and annoyed residents who’re studying to share public roads with robotic automobiles.
“I’m involved that the CPUC won’t think about the clear hostile impacts of unrestricted AV deployment in San Francisco in its choice to additional deployment in Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass stated in a November letter to the state fee. “In a metropolis that spans 500 sq. miles, has a inhabitants of roughly 4 million individuals, and comprises 7,500 miles of roadways, the chance is exponentially better.”
In accordance with a December report from Waymo, the corporate has examined its automobiles over 7.1 million miles. In accordance with its personal knowledge, there have been an estimated 17 fewer accidents and 20 fewer police-reported crashes “in comparison with if human drivers with the benchmark crash price would have pushed the identical distance within the areas we function.” The corporate affords industrial ride-hail service in San Francisco and Phoenix — and it’s additionally offering free rides to pick members of the general public in Los Angeles.
Whereas Waymo has been working its automobiles in Los Angeles principally with out incident — and hasn’t had any high-profile collisions such because the one in San Francisco that injured the pedestrian — numerous comparatively minor incidents have fed public angst concerning the automobiles.
For instance, in a Feb. 5 incident — which has not been beforehand reported — a driverless Waymo was exiting the USC campus after dropping off passengers when it approached an automated gate because it was closing, based on a report the corporate filed to the California Division of Motor Autos. The Waymo car braked however made contact with the gate, scratching the best facet of the car, the corporate stated. A consultant for USC stated they didn’t have details about the incident.
Additionally in Los Angeles, a automotive final 12 months did “not correctly establish or obey an officer who was directing site visitors in an intersection the place site visitors indicators have been offline,” based on the mayor’s workplace. Waymo declined to touch upon the case, however shared a video of a Waymo obeying hand indicators from a police officer in Los Angeles.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors lately handed a decision in help of a pending state invoice that may give native governments the facility to resolve if they need driverless automobiles on its streets. Different authorities our bodies, such because the Los Angeles County Division of Transportation and the San Mateo County Lawyer’s Workplace, submitted letters to the state making an attempt to stall the enlargement of robotaxi service of their jurisdictions.
These efforts are much like what performed out in San Francisco final 12 months, when public officers right here tried desperately to halt the enlargement however have been finally unsuccessful. Zipper stated it’s a notable disparity that “the businesses are saying the know-how is meant to be a godsend for city life, and it’s fairly hanging that the leaders of those city areas actually don’t need them,” he stated.
In December, San Francisco Metropolis Lawyer David Chiu filed a lawsuit towards the state fee for permitting Waymo and Cruise to develop right here this summer time, regardless of inflicting a sample of “critical issues” on the streets. That call is pending in courtroom.
In the meantime, the incidents right here have continued to pile up.
On Feb. 7, a Waymo hit a bike owner who was initially obscured by a truck. In accordance with the corporate, a bike owner was close to a truck and crossing into the Waymo’s path. When the bike owner grew to become seen to the automotive, it tried to use the brakes however was unable to keep away from the crash. The bike owner sustained non-life-threatening accidents.
Then, in a present of public disrespect for the automobiles that weekend, one automotive was attacked and vandalized in San Francisco’s Chinatown throughout a Lunar New 12 months celebration. Mayor London Breed decried the incident as “a harmful and harmful act of vandalism,” based on an announcement.
A Waymo in Phoenix made contact with a “backwards-facing pickup truck being improperly towed forward of the Waymo car,” based on the corporate. The pickup truck was angled throughout a middle flip lane and site visitors lane, the corporate stated. A second Waymo car made contact with the pickup truck a couple of minutes later.
In consequence, Waymo stated on Feb. 11 — three months after the incident — that it issued a voluntary recall report to handle the problem.
“As we serve extra riders in additional cities, we’ll proceed our security first method, working to earn belief and foster clear communication with our riders, group members, regulators, and policymakers,” Waymo stated in a weblog submit.
