There are plenty of incidents where Waymo robotaxis reportedly blocked emergency vehicles, and the latest one comes from Atlanta, where a police patrol vehicle with blaring lights and sirens was stuck because the autonomous vehicle would not move out of the way.
A video of the incident has gone viral on Instagram, which appears to have been recorded late at night.
Despite robotaxis being involved in several such incidents where they blocked emergency vehicles, a resolution does not appear in sight.
If the same violation were committed by a human, they would be penalized for the act. Whether the authorities will ever demand accountability from autonomous taxi operators for delays in responding to emergencies remains to be seen.
Did the Robotaxi Assume it Pulled Over to Let the Police Pass?
The footage on Instagram shows the police car pull up right behind the Waymo that halted in the middle of the road, waiting for it to give way.
On the left was a row of parked cars, which meant the officer could overtake the Waymo from the right. However, that did not happen. Instead, the officer waited for the Waymo to move to the right, likely because the robotaxi showed its right indicator.
However, the Waymo then drove forward a few meters with the indicator flashing continuously, but it did not pull over to the side, nor did it make the right turn. It could be possible that Waymo assumed it had pulled over, but in reality, it was blocking the police car.
This put the police car in a tricky spot because there was nowhere to go. Despite the officer’s persistent honking, the Waymo remained stationary.
Some spectators, meanwhile, were amused by the incident, with some recording the event while others tried to talk to someone in the car. It is not confirmed if there was a passenger in the car at that moment.
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Comments Suggest People Don’t Like Robotaxis
Instagram users have reacted to the video, with many revealing they would like to see robotaxis off the road. Some comments are below:
One user wrote:
“Those cars are complete menace to Society”
Is that why Waymo stopped? The user wrote:
“Maybe waymo stopped because he thought he was being pulled over😂😂😂😂” [sic]
Another user pointed out that the emergency could have been a different one:
“Now what happens when one of those things stop in front of an active ambulance transporting a dying patient to the hospital and they don’t make it?”
One user wrote:
“The Danger of Ai and self operated Machines” [sic]
A user wrote robotaxis are causing major traffic problems in Atlanta:
“Atlanta really needs to let waymo go! They out here causing major traffic problems” [sic]
Another user wrote:
“Get these things out of Atlanta I thought we decided we were putting them on the shelf after the floods”
Waymo Left a Journalist Stranded in Atlanta’s Floods
Guessing Headlights reported how a journalist was left stranded in a Waymo robotaxi after it refused to drive through a flooded street that other cars easily crossed, raising questions about its ability to handle mildly waterlogged roads.
Rachael Knudsen, who recorded the footage on her phone, was in a Waymo robotaxi when it stopped at what appeared to be a flooded dead-end street, though the actual depth of the water was unclear.
In the second instance, the vehicle decided to pull over and call roadside assistance, even when other cars passed by. Fortunately, she was then rescued by another taxi operator.
Eventually, Waymo temporarily paused its operations in Atlanta in the wake of the flash floods, especially after one of its unoccupied robotaxis was left stranded in the flood waters after heavy rain lashed the city.