Waymo’s autonomous vehicle
Autonomous cars have received green light in more than 50 countries and 41 US states. But in fact, this does not mean that they are ready to circulate. There are reports of PBakers who accuse autonomous cars of having kidnapped them and refusing to let them leave.
“The cars kept honking to us and he didn’t move, he didn’t let us go out,” he says Becky Navarrofrom Austin, Texas, who was trapped in the middle of traffic when his taxi Waymo Autonomus decided he needed a break.
After stopping, the vehicle didn’t seem to offer any form of Navarro and its passengers leave – effectively kidnapping a group passengers on a busy road while the cars passed.
Navarro, who detailed his bustling trip, says the incident began when Waymo lost control, leading the group in the opposite direction to the ones they needed to go.
Fortunately, Waymo passengers can contact customer support in real time for incidents that occur during the trip. Unfortunately, the remote agent didn’t do much to solve the problem – and apparently could not have done it, even if he wanted to.
As soon as the customer support service was contacted, Navarro says the car stopped in the middle of a strip below a toll MoPacthe highway that runs through the West Zone of Austin.
This way is often listed between most dangerous highways in the cityand it is so famous that it really has its own satirical profile on X/Twitter, with the name of.
“So we were talking to customer support,” explains Navarro, “we were always saying, ‘We are on the highway, please get the car from here‘. The cars kept honking us and the car didn’t move, it didn’t let us get out. ”
Waymo video shows Group A discusses with a client support agent While a screen asks passengers to “please leave now.” At the same time, an autonomous voice continually repeats an annoying warning “Vehicle approaching” each time a passing car.
“I understand, but We have no way to physically move cars“Gageja the agent when the passengers ask to leave.
“Waymo passengers always have the ability to interrupt the trip and get out of the vehicle when they wish, ”says a Waymo spokesman quoted by.“ The passengers can leave the vehicle pulling the door handle 2 times – One to unlock and one to open the door. ”
Earlier this year, a man suffered one when a Waymo car began conduct in endless circles Around a Phoenix parking lot, Arizona.
“I have the seat belt post, I can’t get out of the car“Said the driver of the back seat of Waymo.“Was this pirated?”
Given the still imperfect state of autonomous driving technology – and the life or death risks involved – futurism questions if it is time to allow autonomous vehicles of companies such as Waymo, Uber e Tesla circle on US roads.
So far, 617 accidents with autonomous cars have been registered in the United States, 21% of which involved something that was not a car – ie cyclists, pawns and objects by the road. Only between May and September 2022autonomous vehicles caused 11 deaths.
It remains to compare these 11 deaths in this perioddivided by the number of kilometers traveled by all autonomous vehicles, with the number of Deaths involved in vehicle accidents driven by humans – To divide, of course, by the number of kilometers they traveled.
