A San Francisco man says a routine ride home in a Waymo self-driving vehicle turned into a terrifying experience when the robotaxi entered an active construction zone and was eventually followed by police.
Elliot Slade and his fiancée were traveling on Highway 101 last month when the autonomous vehicle encountered road work. Slade said the car initially attempted to merge into another lane before making a decision that left the couple fearing for their safety.
Instead of avoiding the closure, Slade said the vehicle drove through traffic cones and accelerated into the restricted area. “There were signs. There were lights. There were cones,” Slade recalled. “And it went through the cones and then sped up straight away.”
The alarming incident has renewed concerns over how self-driving vehicles handle changing road conditions and construction zones, particularly as autonomous vehicles become more common on public roads.
Police Begin Pursuing the Driverless Vehicle
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As the Waymo continued through the work zone, Slade said a California Highway Patrol vehicle noticed the unusual behavior and began following the robotaxi. According to Slade, officers repeatedly shouted commands for the vehicle to stop while he and his fiancé sat helplessly inside.
“Stop Waymo. Stop Waymo,” he recalled hearing, adding that the couple was confused and frightened by the unfolding situation.
Eventually, the autonomous vehicle exited the freeway and drove into a residential neighborhood, where the situation was resolved without any injuries. Despite the incident ending safely, Slade said he felt powerless throughout the ordeal because there was no way for passengers to directly control the vehicle.
The experience left the San Francisco resident shaken and questioning whether the technology is truly ready for widespread use.
Software Problems Prompt Massive Recall
The incident comes as Waymo has already been addressing issues involving construction zones. Federal safety filings show the company recently recalled nearly 3,900 vehicles after multiple incidents in California and Arizona in which robotaxis failed to recognize freeway closures and entered active work zones.
According to regulators, some vehicles either ignored signs or incorrectly prioritized other hazards, allowing them to continue driving into restricted areas. The company subsequently imposed limits on freeway operations while engineers worked on software improvements.
Waymo acknowledged that construction zones represent an area requiring improvement and said it has been cooperating with regulators while implementing updates designed to prevent similar incidents. The recall affects thousands of fifth-generation robotaxis operating across the United States.
Experts Say Better Communication Is Needed
Transportation experts say occasional problems are inevitable with emerging technologies, but improvements can be made to increase safety. Researchers and specialists have suggested stronger communication between transportation agencies and autonomous vehicle operators to ensure road closures and construction projects are quickly shared with self-driving systems.
For Slade, however, the experience has left a lasting impression. He said he and his fiancé genuinely feared something worse could happen if the vehicle made another mistake. Since the incident, he has used Waymo only once and admits he remains uneasy about getting back inside a robotaxi.
“There was a moment where even getting into it again was kind of freaky,” Slade said. “A bit of PTSD.”
As autonomous vehicles become increasingly common on American roads, incidents like this are likely to fuel ongoing debates about whether the technology is advancing faster than safety systems can keep up.