Waymo officially became the latest autonomous car tech company to attract the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States.
Waymo under scrutiny over “unexpected behavior” of self-driving vehicles
The NHTSA announced a new probe into Waymo’s fifth-generation automated driving system on Tuesday after receiving numerous reports of “unexpected behavior,” Reuters reported.
The US auto safety regulators asserted that its preliminary investigation into an estimated 444 Waymo robotaxis follows 22 incident reports, including 17 collisions.
“The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received reports of 22 incidents involving Waymo vehicles equipped with Waymo’s 5th generation automated driving system (ADS) wherein the ADS-equipped vehicle was the sole vehicle operated during a collision or wherein the ADS-equipped vehicle exhibited driving behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws.”
ODI resume
More about the reported incidents
According to the reports submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), the Waymo robotaxis either crashed into semi-stationary objects or disobeyed traffic laws. Such unexpected behaviors even resulted to follow-up accidents.
Waymo robotaxis reportedly hit objects like gates, chains, and parked vehicles, among others. It also got involved in other circumstances where driverless vehicles failed to adequately follow traffic control systems.
“Reports include collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles, and instances in which the ADS appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices. In certain incidents, a collision occurred shortly after the ADS exhibited unexpected behavior near traffic safety control devices.”
ODI resume
Waymo remains “proud” of its safety record
Waymo has yet to address the above-mentioned safety incidents. Nonetheless, it asserted that it was “proud of our performance and safety record over tens of millions of autonomous miles driven, as well as our demonstrated commitment to safety transparency.”
It also disclosed on Tuesday that it has served more than 50,000 “weekly trips for our riders in some of the most challenging and complex environments.”
In March, Waymo announced it is on track to launch free driverless robotaxi services to certain members of the public in Los Angeles after obtaining approval from a state agency to launch its Waymo One ride-hailing program in LA and some cities near San Francisco.
Following the NHTSA news, Waymo said it will continue working with the US auto safety regulators to ensure the safety of its technology.
The investigation is the initial stage before NHTSA can request a safety recall if it determines that the Waymo robotaxis really has safety risks.
