In need of explanation

Waymo defends robotaxi driving into oncoming traffic

The safety of all road users is the top priority and lessons will be learned from this "one-off incident", Waymo said.

(Bild: Waymo)

The excursion of a Waymo robotaxi into oncoming traffic in San Francisco has put the Google sister company under pressure to explain itself. A published video shows the vehicle crossing a solid line and driving in the oncoming lane for around 30 seconds. 

There was a group of people on scooters in the lanes on the correct side. Instead of waiting for them to drive through, the software decided to drive alongside them in oncoming traffic.

Waymo defended the vehicle's behavior. The software had assumed that one of the people could fall and had therefore "prudently" switched to the clear oncoming lane, a spokeswoman explained on Monday.

The car then remained in the oncoming lane for the safety of the scooter riders so as not to come too close to them and not to cut anyone off. The safety of all road users was the top priority and lessons would be learned from this "one-off incident". The entire maneuver was decided and executed by the software, she emphasized.

San Francisco has been a unique test case for the commercial operation of self-driving cars since last year. Waymo and the company Cruise, which belongs to US car giant General Motors, were given permission in the summer to offer robotaxi rides throughout the city without a safety driver.

Forced to stop after accident
However, Cruise's service has been suspended since the beginning of October following an accident. A woman was hit by a car with a person at the wheel and thrown in front of the Cruise vehicle. The robotaxi was unable to brake and the pedestrian was trapped underneath it. The car then automatically tried to drive to the side of the road and dragged her several meters.

GM replaced most of the Cruise management team after the accident and is only now starting to send some cars back out on the road, initially with humans at the wheel, to update the map material.

Too timid
The Waymo robotaxis, on the other hand, have been on the road in San Francisco in recent months without any major incidents. Traditionally, residents and public transportation companies tend to accuse them of being too timid and therefore occasionally blocking traffic.

Developers of self-driving cars had already tried in recent years to adapt the software more closely to the behavior of people in unconventional situations.