Waymo's Autonomous Vehicles Face Challenges in San Francisco

On Sunday, a driverless Waymo vehicle encountered a tense police situation in downtown Los Angeles, just feet away from a police stop involving a suspect. Video footage captured the Waymo robotaxi making a left turn into a street, passing by a white pickup truck that was pulled over by multiple police cruisers with their lights flashing.

At the time, the suspected driver of the pickup was lying face down on the ground. Police officers shouted at the Waymo to move away, but instead of leaving the area, the vehicle briefly slowed down and signaled a right turn.

A police officer was heard urgently commanding, "Go to your left! Go to your left!" as the situation unfolded. Fortunately, the incident lasted only fifteen seconds and ended without injury to anyone involved.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, emphasized in a statement that safety remains their highest priority, and they are committed to learning from incidents like this. Currently, Waymo operates in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Phoenix.

The company had previously announced in July that it had completed over 100 million miles of autonomous driving without a human behind the wheel and reported no fatalities. However, Waymo's autonomous vehicles have faced scrutiny following several incidents since launching their public service in November twenty twenty-four.

In June, five Waymo vehicles were set on fire by anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles. In July, a cyber-prankster directed fifty Waymo vehicles down a dead-end street in San Francisco, causing a viral sensation.

In September, police in San Bruno, a suburb of San Francisco, observed a Waymo making an illegal turn during a DUI operation, but were unable to issue a ticket due to the absence of a driver. After being contacted by the police, Waymo assured that they would address the glitch.

Additionally, in November, Waymo announced it would expand its services to include freeway rides, a shift from its previous limitations to city streets. These ongoing incidents underscore the challenges and public concerns surrounding the deployment of autonomous vehicles in urban environments, particularly regarding safety and operational reliability.