A Waymo driverless vehicle was recently filmed driving the wrong way on a frontage road in Austin, Texas, raising new questions about the safety of autonomous driving technology. The incident, captured in a viral video circulating on Reddit, shows the robotaxi stopping directly in oncoming traffic before abruptly correcting its course into a gas station after signaling a right turn.
The incident occurred near Interstate 35, as reported by MySanAntonio. Notably, neither the Austin Police Department nor the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department received reports about the event, suggesting it may not have caused an immediate collision or disruption.
Waymo responded to the viral clip with a standard statement emphasizing safety: >”Safety is our highest priority at Waymo… We take situations like this seriously and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience.”
However, this incident is not isolated. Just this month, Waymo issued a software recall following reports that its vehicles had illegally passed school buses in Austin. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation confirmed at least 19 instances of this dangerous maneuver.
Why it matters: The repeated safety issues highlight the challenges of deploying fully autonomous vehicles in real-world conditions. While Waymo insists on continuous improvement, these incidents raise doubts about the current reliability of the technology, particularly in complex and unpredictable urban environments. The trend towards increasing automation in transportation is inevitable, but these events underscore the need for robust testing, regulation, and transparency to ensure public safety.
