Federal safety regulators like stumbled on nine more incidents that develop questions concerning the safety of Waymo’s self-riding autos working in Phoenix and San Francisco.
The National Motorway Online page online net site visitors Safety Administration Situation of job of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation earlier this month into Waymo’s independent automobile utility after receiving 22 reviews of robotaxis making surprising strikes that ended in crashes and potentially violated net site visitors safety guidelines. The investigation, which has been designated a “preliminary overview,” is examining the utility and its potential to abet a long way flung from collisions with stationary objects and the scheme in which nicely it detects and responds to “net site visitors safety adjust gadgets” devour cones.
The company said Friday it has added any other nine incidents for the explanation that investigation used to be opened. Waymo couldn’t be reached for commentary; TechCrunch will update the article if the Alphabet-owned firm responds.
Waymo reported most of those incidents. The others were stumbled on by regulators via public postings on social media and boards devour Reddit, YouTube and X. The extra nine incidents embody reviews of Waymo robotaxis colliding with gates, utility poles, and parked autos, riding within the grisly lane with nearby oncoming net site visitors and into construction zones.
The ODI said it’s involved the robotaxis “exhibiting such surprising riding behaviors might per chance perhaps well well lengthen the possibility of smash, property damage, and damage.” The company said that while it’s no longer aware of any accidents from these incidents, several involved collisions with viewed objects that “a legitimate driver would be anticipated to abet a long way flung from.” The company also expressed bellow that practically all of those occurred shut to pedestrians.
NHTSA has given Waymo unless June 11 to acknowledge to a sequence of questions concerning the investigation.
NHTSA has stepped up its inquiries into automated riding skills. Earlier this month, the company opened an investigation into independent autos operated by Amazon-backed Zoox. The investigation used to be introduced on after receiving two reviews of the firm’s independent-outfitted Toyota Highlanders being rear-ended by bikes after the SUVs right this moment introduced on the brakes.
