Waymo recent crop of security problems have led him to suspend service in another city. The Alphabet-owned company temporarily shut down service in Atlanta after one of its robotaxis entered a flooded intersection.
As a local NBC affiliate shared in a reportThe autonomous vehicle was stuck at the intersection for about an hour due to heavy rain in the city. In a statement, Waymo explained that the National Weather Service had not had time to issue one of the flash flood alerts that the company relies on to help cars avoid flooding. There were no passengers at that time.
Similar incidents have been reported
Waymo also issued recalls
The move comes weeks after Waymo froze service in San Antonio following similar incidents, including one in which an unoccupied car was swept away by flooding. Waymo decided to recall all of its 3,791 robotaxis through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the end of April due to the problem.
Last week, Waymo pushed a software update for its vehicles that restricted where they could drive when there was an “elevated risk of encountering a flooded and higher-speed road,” according to NHTSA documents.
The Atlanta incident suggests that the current update is not enough. However, Waymo also said in the recall that it was still developing more, but unspecified, “safeguards.”
It is not Waymo’s first security problem
Children and school buses have been problematic
Waymo, like other robotaxi operators, has faced safety criticism before. Their driverless cars have accumulated parking tickets and other violations in situations they couldn’t understand. Sometimes they come to a complete stop as a safety measure, but this can block traffic or cause collisions.
Officials with NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are already investigating two problems with Waymo machines. In January, a robotaxi in Santa Monica ran over a child at low speed, causing minor injuries. There have also been several occasions where Waymo cars Illegally detained school buses passedputting more children at risk.
Nothing new for robotaxis
These problems have historically been difficult to avoid. While Waymo and its rivals routinely train their cars with real-world tests and simulations, there are still extreme scenarios that self-driving systems don’t anticipate. While the technology is improving, it’s worth noting that most robotaxi services tend to take place in warm, stable climates where weather hazards are less likely to complicate navigation.
Fountain: 10News
