The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a preliminary investigation into dozens of incidents involving Waymo’s driverless vehicles, focusing on “single-party” crashes and potential traffic law violations.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation is examining 22 incidents where Waymo’s autonomous vehicles were “the sole vehicle operated during a collision” or displayed driving behavior that could have violated traffic safety laws. These incidents include collisions with stationary objects, parked vehicles, and instances where the autonomous driving system (ADS) appeared to disobey traffic control devices or drive on the wrong side of the road.
The investigation follows the circulation of videos showing Waymo vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road in recent weeks. Waymo, acknowledging that its vehicles are involved in minor collisions occasionally, maintains that its technology is effective in preventing serious incidents compared to human drivers.
Waymo spokesperson Christopher Bonelli stated, “We are proud of our performance and safety record over tens of millions of autonomous miles driven, as well as our demonstrated commitment to safety transparency.”
The investigation is critical for Waymo, especially as it expands its robotaxi operations to Los Angeles and begins highway testing of its driverless vehicles. The company is under increased scrutiny, similar to other autonomous vehicle (AV) developers, as they strive to demonstrate the safety of their technologies amidst concerns over high-profile AV crashes.
NHTSA has launched preliminary investigations into several major AV players, including Tesla, GM’s Cruise, Ford, and Zoox, reflecting the growing regulatory scrutiny in the AV space.
INOA-PE24016-12382 by ahawkins8223
