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The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in California is currently investigating an incident that took place on Tuesday. According to a report by Reuters, a driverless Waymo car collided with a cyclist.
According to a report by SFGate, San Francisco police have stated that the cyclist sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, reported that only one individual was present in the vehicle and did not sustain any injuries. Additionally, they reported the incident to the police.
The company stated that the autonomous vehicle came to a halt at a four-way intersection while a sizable truck approached from the opposite direction. The vehicle proceeded into the intersection and made contact with the bicyclist positioned behind the truck.
The truck obscured the cyclist, who quickly moved behind it and into the path of the Waymo vehicle. The company stated that despite applying heavy braking, our vehicle was unable to avoid the collision when the pedestrians became fully visible.
In August 2021, Waymo commenced its robotaxi services for pre-approved passengers in San Francisco. In September 2021, the company received approval from The California Department of Motor Vehicles to begin implementing fees for their taxi services. Nevertheless, it required approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in August 2022 in order to commence the paid service.
In October, Waymo expanded its service areas in San Francisco to cater to tens of thousands of riders, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch at that time.
There is already scrutiny surrounding autonomous taxi companies. In a regrettable incident last year, a robotaxi ran over and dragged a pedestrian, forcing Cruise to recall its entire fleet of autonomous taxis. In a recent internal report, it was disclosed that the GM subsidiary is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
