Investigation of the Waymo RoboTaxi Incident
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into approximately 2,000 Waymo autonomous vehicles following an incident with a school bus. The event occurred in the state of Georgia when the robotaxi passed a stopped bus that had its red warning lights activated and a ‘Stop’ sign extended.
Event Details
The robotaxi approached the bus from a side street and initially stopped, but then proceeded, passing the deployed control arm and stop sign. Although there were no children on the road and no one was injured, the incident raised serious concerns about the safety of autonomous systems.
Company and Regulator Response
Waymo confirmed the investigation, stating that it has already implemented improvements to its school bus recognition system. The company emphasized that the robotaxi was approaching at such an angle that the warning lights and ‘Stop’ sign were not visible to its sensors, but the vehicle maintained a safe distance from children.
We have already developed and deployed improvements related to stopping for school buses and plan additional updates in a future software release.
Technological Aspects of Autonomous Control
In the field of autonomous driving, debates continue regarding optimal road perception methods. Waymo uses radar and lidar, while Tesla prefers a visual system. In this case, it can be assumed that a visual system might have identified the problem related to the bus’s signs and signals more quickly.
Next Steps
The federal agency plans to check how Waymo’s technological equipment and software comply with traffic safety rules, especially in situations involving school buses. The investigation results could influence the further development of autonomous vehicles and their safety requirements.
The Waymo incident highlights that even advanced technologies require constant improvement to ensure complete road safety. The growing number of autonomous vehicles demands more thorough testing in various conditions, especially when it comes to protecting children and other road users. In the future, we can expect stricter regulatory requirements and deeper analysis of artificial intelligence performance in critical situations.