Federal safety regulators discovered nine other incidents that raise questions about the safety of Waymo’s self-driving vehicles operating in Phoenix and San Francisco.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation earlier this month into Waymo’s self-driving vehicle software after receiving 22 reports of the robot taxi making unexpected moves that led to accidents and possibly violated traffic safety laws. The research, which has been described as a “preliminary evaluation”, looks at the software and its ability to avoid collisions with fixed objects and how well it detects and responds to “traffic safety control devices” such as cones.
The agency said Friday it added nine other incidents since the investigation began. Waymo could not be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the article if the Alphabet-owned company responds.
Waymo reported some of these incidents. The others were discovered by regulators through public posts on social media and forums such as Reddit, YouTube and X. The additional nine incidents include reports of Waymo robotaxis colliding with gates, poles and parked vehicles, driving in the wrong lane with nearby opposite traffic and in construction zones.
The ODI said it was concerned that the robotaxi “exhibiting such unexpected driving behaviors could increase the risk of collision, property damage and injury”. The agency said that while it is not aware of any injuries from those incidents, several involved collisions with visible objects that “a competent driver would be expected to avoid.” The agency also expressed concern that some of them happened near pedestrians.
NHTSA gave Waymo until June 11 to respond to a series of questions about the investigation.
NHTSA has stepped up its investigations into automated driving technology. Earlier this month, the agency Open a research into autonomous vehicles powered by Amazon-backed Zoox; The investigation began after receiving two reports of the company’s autonomously equipped Toyota Highlanders falling behind motorcycles after the SUVs unexpectedly applied the brakes.
