Waymo addresses safety worries during investigation of school bus incidents

Communities are raising alarms about near-misses involving autonomous vehicles. In Texas, one school district has requested that Waymo suspend its self-driving cars during school pick-up and drop-off times after several safety-related incidents.

Waymo presents itself on its website as "the world's most trusted driver," yet recent footage has shown Waymo vehicles illegally overtaking stopped school buses with red lights flashing and stop arms extended, placing children at risk. These incidents were captured by cameras on buses from the Austin Independent School District and have led to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation.

School officials report at least 19 separate occurrences of Waymo vehicles passing stopped buses since the beginning of the school year in August. AISD Assistant Police Chief Travis Pickford told ABC News, "Every week there seems to be a few more incidents. Until this is resolved, these vehicles shouldn't operate on our roads."

Waymo acknowledged the incidents, attributing them to a software malfunction. "Enhancing road safety is our highest priority," the company said in a statement. "We are committed to safe interactions with school buses and have implemented software updates to address the issue while continuing to refine our systems."

Vishay Nihalani, Waymos director of product management operations, emphasized that perfection cannot be guaranteed but stressed the importance of learning from every scenario encountered. He noted that after reviewing the Austin incidents, fixes were applied to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

Other users have posted videos of unusual experiences with Waymo vehicles. In Arizona, one passenger reported being trapped in a car that drove in circles in a parking lot before stopping, after which he exited safely. Waymo confirmed the problem was resolved through a routine software update.

The company highlights that its self-driving cars have a significantly lower accident rate than human drivers, with 91% fewer crashes resulting in serious injury or worse. However, experts from the Association for Computing Machinery caution that fully automated vehicles may not necessarily reduce injuries or fatalities without human oversight, noting limitations in their ability to safely operate outside controlled environments.

Author: Connor Blake