Posted on 04/28/2024 1:31:38 PM PDT by grundle
Cyclists captured a Waymo robotaxi driving in an opposite travel lane against oncoming traffic for nearly two blocks in downtown San Francisco — a maneuver the company says the driverless vehicle took to avoid a potential collision.
Footage of the incident, which happened about 9:30 p.m. Friday near Mission and First streets in SoMa, was posted on Reddit over the weekend.
According to the videos, a Waymo robotaxi heading west crossed a double solid yellow line onto the eastbound lane closest to the median as it drove behind a crowd of people riding electric scooters and unicycles.
The autonomous vehicle, which carried someone in the passenger seat, continued to drive in the opposite traffic lane, braking intermittently as it approached the Shaw Alley crosswalk. The Waymo drove past four oncoming vehicles traveling in the furthest right eastbound lane, as well as several cyclists heading west, before it merged back onto the left westbound lane, according to video footage.
The Waymo vehicle stopped shortly before approaching the stoplight intersection on Mission and Second streets after a unicyclist got in front of the vehicle in an apparent attempt to guide it back to the westbound lanes.
Waymo told the Chronicle in a statement that the robotaxi “detected that there may be a risk of a person within that crowd who had fallen down, and decided to carefully initiate a passing maneuver when the opposing lane was clear to move around what could be an obstacle and a safety concern.”
“After starting that maneuver, out of an abundance of caution around these vulnerable road users, and to avoid getting too close or cutting them off, the Waymo remained in the oncoming lane for longer than necessary before returning to its original lane of travel,” the company said. “The safety of all road users is a top priority for Waymo, and we look forward to learning from this unique event.”
The wrong-way incident took place in a busy part of the city that’s proved challenging for autonomous vehicles to navigate. At Market and Fifth streets in October, a Cruise robotaxi involved in a hit-and-run accident that was caused by a human driver struck and dragged a jaywalking pedestrian 20 feet.
It sounds like it was driving illegally.
I recommend Waymo testing.
Is looks like it too. See the video in post 4.
Reminds me of this......
Um, here’s a novel idea: Instead of immediately putting these cars out in public, how about waiting a bit longer till the tech actually exists?
This is like the EV argument. They all assume switching to 100% EVs will all work out when the tech really isn’t there yet. We still do not have a viable alternative to gasoline, unless someone recently invented an engine that can run on cold fusion? Maybe AOC invented it.
Could be an illegal alien robotaxi.
How often is a unicyclist the hero of the story?
You're probably a Luddite who wants to clinically test experimental gene therapy "vaccines" before releasing them on the public, too. 🤡
There's a special hot corner in Hell awaiting the inventor of the hideous phrase "abundance of caution". IMHO. What we had here was some poor schmuck with no override clinging to his life as his conveyance decided to drive in the oncoming traffic lane. Sorry for the heart attack, pal, but it was for your own safety.
Maybe the AI software needs to have one of Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics programmed in: [Law One – “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”]
They should program them to go up on the sidewalk to run over mimes.
Just really smart AI learning to drive like human A-H*les.
I was driving in San Francisco today, and saw numerous Waymo robotaxis. While behind one on the freeway going into the city, it appeared confused, slowing for no reason and hesitant. I quickly went around it. Should change the name to "Oh-No".
Great code-writing there.
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