Federal regulators have widened their investigation into Waymo over allegations that the company's self-driving cars circumvented school buses stopped on the road in Austin, Texas. According to a letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) dated December 3, the agency will scrutinize the autonomous vehicles' performance and adherence to traffic safety laws.
The issue came to light after reports surfaced that Waymo's vehicles navigated around school buses with flashing red lights and deployed stop-arm signals. The Austin Independent School District revealed that it has been aware of 20 incidents this school year in which a Waymo vehicle illegally passed a stopped school bus. This contravenes laws in all 50 U.S. states, requiring drivers to halt for a stopped school bus.
Waymo acknowledged the issue and said it identified the software problem contributing to these incidents. The company implemented updates by November 17, claiming that they have improved its vehicles' performance. Waymo plans to issue a voluntary software recall with NHTSA next week. A spokesperson stated, "We will continue analyzing our vehicles' performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement."
Local officials in Austin remain concerned about road safety, citing the 20th citation received by Waymo since the beginning of the school year. The company refused to cease operations during the hours when students are loading and unloading from school buses despite a request from the district.
Waymo emphasized its overall safety record, stating that it has achieved a fivefold reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers. However, the incident in Atlanta, Georgia, where a Waymo vehicle drove around a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and its stop arm deployed, raises questions about the company's ability to follow traffic laws.
As Waymo expands services to more cities, including Philadelphia, regulators are taking notice of these incidents. The investigation into Waymo's autonomous vehicles will undoubtedly shed light on the importance of adhering to traffic laws, particularly when it comes to school buses with flashing red lights and deployed stop-arm signals.
The issue came to light after reports surfaced that Waymo's vehicles navigated around school buses with flashing red lights and deployed stop-arm signals. The Austin Independent School District revealed that it has been aware of 20 incidents this school year in which a Waymo vehicle illegally passed a stopped school bus. This contravenes laws in all 50 U.S. states, requiring drivers to halt for a stopped school bus.
Waymo acknowledged the issue and said it identified the software problem contributing to these incidents. The company implemented updates by November 17, claiming that they have improved its vehicles' performance. Waymo plans to issue a voluntary software recall with NHTSA next week. A spokesperson stated, "We will continue analyzing our vehicles' performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement."
Local officials in Austin remain concerned about road safety, citing the 20th citation received by Waymo since the beginning of the school year. The company refused to cease operations during the hours when students are loading and unloading from school buses despite a request from the district.
Waymo emphasized its overall safety record, stating that it has achieved a fivefold reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers. However, the incident in Atlanta, Georgia, where a Waymo vehicle drove around a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and its stop arm deployed, raises questions about the company's ability to follow traffic laws.
As Waymo expands services to more cities, including Philadelphia, regulators are taking notice of these incidents. The investigation into Waymo's autonomous vehicles will undoubtedly shed light on the importance of adhering to traffic laws, particularly when it comes to school buses with flashing red lights and deployed stop-arm signals.
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Who needs human drivers when you can have Waymo's " advanced" AI? 
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I mean, I get that self-driving cars are still a thing in progress, but can't they just follow the rules like everyone else? School buses with flashing red lights and deployable stop arm signals are super obvious – it's not exactly rocket science. And yet Waymo's vehicles keep skipping those stops. What's going on here? 
The fact that there have been 20 incidents this school year in Austin alone is just a recipe for disaster. I'm all for innovation, but safety should always be the top priority. Can't we just wait until these cars are a bit more reliable before hitting the roads with them flying around?
i mean, we're talking about safety here, folks! school buses with flashing red lights and stop-arm signals are not toys 
. waymo can't just 'improve' their software without making sure it's foolproof 
.
i'm all for innovation and progress, but not at the expense of lives 
. regulators are doing the right thing by taking notice and investigating these incidents 
. it's time for waymo to take responsibility for their actions 
.
that's like not following the law at all!! i mean they claimed they fixed the issue but 20 incidents already this year? that's crazy! what if it was one of those incidents that could've hurt someone... 
i mean, cirumventing school buses w/ flashing red lights? that's just crazy talk! i get it, tech companies are all about innovation, but safety comes 1st, fam! 
. i mean, 20 incidents in austin alone is crazy! and now they're planning to recall their software because of it 
. i just hope they take this seriously and dont sweep it under the rug... i remember when my friend's little bro got hit by a car on his bike... it was really scary 
.
The NHTSA is onto them and I'm glad to see some action being taken. Waymo did admit to the issue and fixed it kinda fast, but I gotta ask, how could this happen in the first place? 
Anyways, it's good that they're taking responsibility and making updates. Fingers crossed these new fixes don't leave anyone on the wrong side of the law again. Safety first, all day, erry day! 
anyway i'm glad they're acknowledging the issue and making changes ASAP 
it's all about safety and following the rules 
And yeah, they've already fixed the software issue, but what about the next time something goes wrong? 
I mean, that's like driving a human car and someone else just waves their hand at the traffic lights... yeah that wouldn't work lol. Anyway, waymo seems pretty chill about fixing this issue tho 
I mean, I know they said they fixed the problem, but 20 incidents already this year is still a lot. And what about road safety, you feel? 
The NHTSA needs to take a closer look at this, ASAP! 
it raises questions about accountability and the human factor – if a computer program can outsmart a simple traffic law, what does that say about our own judgment? 
and let's not forget those 20 incidents in Austin... just because a machine has improved its performance doesn't mean we've solved anything