A Driverless Taxi Crashed Into a Cyclist. So, No—Robots Aren't Ready for Our Roads.
San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is investigating a crash caused by a driverless Waymo robotaxi on Tuesday, which left a cyclist with non-life-threatening injuries. According to SFPD, the collision happened in the city’s Potrero Hill district.
According to the Independent, “A spokesperson for Waymo said the vehicle was pulling out from a four-way intersection and failed to spot a cyclist hidden behind a truck that was turning into the intersection.
“‘The cyclist was obscured by the truck and quickly followed behind it, crossing into the Waymo vehicle’s path,’ the spokesperson said.”
They went on to describe the incident with the cyclist saying, “When they became fully visible, our vehicle applied heavy braking but was not able to avoid the collision...We are making contact with relevant authorities surrounding this event.”
Road.cc reported that SFPD officers attended the scene after being alerted to the crash by Waymo staff. The passenger of the car was not injured.
Waymo has reportedly done extensive testing on making sure that their cars can identify and navigate around cyclists.
According to Road.cc, In a comprehensive blog post by Waymo, published in 2021, “the company outlined how it used simulations and data gathered in real-life testing to try and ensure that its vehicles could share the road safely with people on bikes, acknowledging that ‘cyclists in particular pose a number of unique considerations for autonomous driving technology.’”
The Independent reported that California’s DMV logged eight autonomous vehicle collision reports in January, and more than 130 in 2023. “Most were minor crashes that resulted in no injuries, however a Waymo autonomous vehicle struck and killed a small dog last May in an accident that the company described as unavoidable.”
Killing pets and injuring cyclists seems like reason enough to get back to work on how to avoid such things. There was no word on what the penalty would be, if any, for the company.
You Might Also Like
