Getting pulled over by the police is never a particularly enjoyable experience, but what happens when you’re not even the person driving the car? That’s the bizarre situation one Waymo passenger found himself in after his autonomous ride attempted to navigate through a crowd of protesters, attracting the attention of nearby officers.
TikTok creator Cam shared footage of the unusual encounter, which shows what happens when a self-driving vehicle encounters a situation that requires a little more judgment than simply following its programmed route. According to the video’s description, the Waymo attempted to drive through an area occupied by protesters, prompting police to intervene.
The situation presents an unusual dilemma for the passenger, who has no direct control over the vehicle’s driving decisions but still finds himself dealing with the consequences. After all, it’s difficult to explain a questionable driving maneuver to an officer when there isn’t actually a driver sitting behind the wheel.
Cam seemed equally confused by the experience, captioning his video, “How am I getting pulled over when I’m not even the one driving?? ðŸ˜ðŸ’€ Waymo got some explaining to do.” Although the footage describes a police stop, it’s unclear whether officers issued any citation, contacted Waymo directly, or simply redirected the autonomous vehicle away from the protest.
Officer Tries Stopping Waymo Heading Toward Protest
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@camjacksonceoHow am I getting pulled over when I’m not even the one driving?? ðŸ˜ðŸ’€ Waymo got some explaining to do.♬ original sound – Cam
In the clip, passengers are in a driverless Waymo car as it is actively driving. The camera then pans over to a police vehicle beside them, trying to get them to pull over.
The problem is that the Waymo is headed straight for a protest that police had deliberately blocked the street for. However, it seems that the Waymo doesn’t really care about that.
In fact, the Waymo drives around the officer and just continues down the street. There aren’t any updates about what happened after the fact, but I’d like to think that the officer was able to get the Waymo pulled over before it drove into the protest.
Comments and Reactions to Waymo Getting Pulled Over Near Protesters
The comments were filled with jokes about the Waymo seemingly refusing to stop, despite the police trying to get its attention. “Y’all in Waymo trouble than y’all thought,” one viewer joked, while another wrote, “The Waymo running!!!!! THE WAYMO RUNNING 😂ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚.”
Others were more concerned about what passengers are supposed to do when a self-driving car gets into trouble. “Why is there not an emergency stop selection in those yet,” one commenter asked, while another suggested, “I think once you hit support, the vehicle should pull over and stop.”
Interestingly, several viewers wondered whether the Waymo itself could face consequences for ignoring police instructions. “Wait, so do Waymos not get citations??” one person asked, while another joked, “Turned the sirens on like its ur fault😂.”