Police stop a Waymo robot taxi that drove into the oncoming lane in the US

On 19 June in Phoenix, a police officer stopped a Waymo robot taxi driving in the wrong lane. Apparently, the car was confused by construction signs and ran a red light. The car then pulled into a parking lot, where the police officer spoke to a Waymo customer service representative.

Here's What We Know

In a two-and-a-half minute bodycam recording published by local outlet AZCentral, the officer told Waymo that the car was travelling in a construction zone when it veered into the oncoming lane. The car reportedly ran a red light.

Waymo has told multiple outlets that the vehicle entered the oncoming lane due to inappropriate road signs and that it was blocked from returning to the correct lane. The company stated that the vehicle pulled away from the police officer to clear the intersection before entering the car park where the stop occurred. According to the company, the stop lasted approximately one minute.

The company said that its cars are three and a half times more likely to avoid an accident than a human.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating nearly 20 incidents involving Waymo cars. There have been cases where these cars have posed a danger to other road users and interfered with the work of emergency services. Last month, Waymo recalled its cars after one of them collided with a telephone pole.

Source: Fox 10 Phoenix