A new incident involving Waymo's driverless cars recently took place in its debut city, San Francisco, and this centers on the autonomous service hitting a cyclist on the road. Fortunately, the person on the bicycle only sustained minor injuries according to law enforcement officials, as well as the person riding in the Waymo remaining safe and unscathed.
This came at a time when there was significant scrutiny against autonomous ride-hailing services, particularly as General Motors' Cruise faced suspension after a gruesome accident.
Waymo Hits a Cyclist in San Francisco, Only Minor Injuries
(Photo : Waymo)
Waymo's services in San Francisco now have a red mark on its sheet, and this is because of a recent accident that occurred at 3:02 PM last February 6 where it unintentionally hit a cyclist. This took place at the intersection of the Mississippi and 17th streets, right in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of the city, with The Verge saying that it is a flat and well-lit area.
San Francisco's police arrived at the accident scene and investigated the situation, saying that the cyclist sustained only minor injuries from the altercation.
Moreover, there was also a passenger on the said Waymo driverless car who remained uninjured during the entire incident.
Waymo's Driverless Car Accident: Did Not See the Cyclist
Julia Ilina, Waymo spokesperson, claimed that the incident occurred in a four-way intersection where a truck was crossing it, and the driverless car awaiting it to complete its maneuver. After that, the Waymo vehicle proceeded but failed to detect a cyclist who was closely following the truck.
The Waymo autonomous ride immediately stopped to avoid the cyclist but failed to completely evade the oncoming accident. It was said that the cyclist left after the accident with only "minor scratches."
The company also contacted law enforcement to coordinate with what happened.
Waymo and Cruise's Driverless Car Operations
For many years, Waymo and Cruise applied their operations to various cities in the country, centering on their autonomous ride-hailing service to go around to pick up people and bring them to their target destination. Last August 2023, both companies received their permits to operate 24/7 in San Francisco, leading to a massive traffic jam in the city.
Still, there are massive safety concerns against these services, especially as it is not yet fully approved for use in the locations where they are available, including San Francisco's embrace of autonomous robotaxis.
Nevertheless, Alphabet's Waymo is known for its rapid expansion across the country, with major cities getting their chance to try the experimental runs of its services.
Accidents happen daily, but most can be attributed to humans behind the wheel, either experiencing mechanical or technological failures or simply because of human fault. Waymo's recent accident was because of its system and its failure to detect the cyclist who was behind the truck, yet was able to immediately apply its brakes to avoid a worse accident.
