Children Cry as Waymo Hits Dog

Waymo confirmed that one of its autonomous robotaxis struck a small dog on Sunday night in San Francisco, marking another incident involving one of the companys vehicles and a pet. A company spokesperson told Mission Local that, A Waymo vehicle came into contact with a small, unleashed dog on the street. We are committed to understanding this situation and improving road safety for the communities we serve. The dogs condition remains unknown.

The incident first came to public attention through a Reddit post by a passenger riding with family. The post described, Our Waymo just ran over a dog. Trying to call customer support. Called the police. Crowd is gathering, not sure what to do. The passenger estimated the dog weighed 20 to 30 pounds and was off its leash, moving in the middle of the road when the vehicle hit it.

The passenger recounted that the dog yelped and screamed, children cried, and their spouse was upset. In communications with a Waymo subreddit moderator, the passenger noted that they didnt see the dog until the collision but that their childrens reactions alerted them. They also expressed uncertainty about whether a human driver could have avoided the accident, mentioning that a human might have reacted differently to the chaos inside the vehicle.

San Francisco Animal Care and Control confirmed it received a complaint about the event. Following the incident, a Waymo representative contacted the family to check on their well-being.

This collision comes just weeks after a previous incident in which a Waymo vehicle killed a beloved neighborhood cat named Kit Kat, sparking community outrage and national coverage. Despite such events, Waymo maintains a strong safety record. According to company data, with 96 million fully autonomous rides completed by June, Waymo vehicles are 91% less likely than human drivers to be involved in crashes causing serious injury, and they have not been involved in any fatal accidents.

Accidents do occur, however. Past incidents include dogs being struck, occasional collisions with pedestrians and cyclists, and challenges navigating complex traffic. These occurrences continue to fuel debates about autonomous vehicles, and some residents have even resorted to vandalism against the cars.

Despite the trauma from the latest incident, the passenger expressed continued support for Waymo. While it will take time before my children are willing to ride again, I appreciate Waymos response and look forward to using their service in the future, they wrote.

Author: Connor Blake