Waymo Vehicle Leads Police on Pursuit After Entering Construction Zone
A passenger described a harrowing experience in a Waymo vehicle that entered a construction zone, prompting a police chase and raising concerns about the technology's readiness.
A Waymo autonomous vehicle took a passenger on an unintended journey through a construction zone, culminating in a police pursuit, according to a report by ABC News.
The incident occurred when the Waymo, a driverless taxi operated by Alphabet's self-driving unit, was traveling on Highway 101 in San Francisco. Upon encountering a construction zone marked with signs, lights, and cones, the vehicle attempted to change lanes but failed. Instead, it proceeded directly into the off-limits area.
"In that moment it’s like, ‘Oh this technology is not ready,'" said passenger Elliot Slade, recounting the experience. Slade stated that the Waymo "went through the cones and then sped up straight away." The erratic behavior attracted the attention of a patrol car, which began to follow the vehicle.
Slade expressed his alarm, shouting for the Waymo to stop and questioning the situation. The automated car chase concluded when the vehicle exited the freeway and turned into a residential neighborhood.
"If something else had gone wrong, someone in that road might have got hit. We might have crashed in the car," Slade remarked, expressing relief that no collision occurred. While he has used Waymo services again, he stated he does not wish to use them in the future, describing a sense of unease bordering on "PTSD."
This event is reportedly one of more than a dozen similar incidents where Waymo vehicles have entered construction zones despite warning signals. In response to these occurrences, Waymo recalled over 3,800 of its robotaxis. The company also temporarily restricted freeway operations for its vehicles to implement software upgrades aimed at improving situational awareness and specifically addressing construction zone navigation.
"We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones," Waymo stated in a press release. "We voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA."