Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
All the robotaxi companies claim that their safety is much better than obsolete human drivers. But are they really safer given that they seem to crash so often? This clearly needs to be investigated further.
WSB-TV2 and FOX5 report on how a Waymo burned to the ground after being in a collision. Fortunately there were no passengers because there is a good chance they would not have been able to exit the vehicle in time.
Los Angeles Times reports on yet another Waymo crash, this one involving multiple injuries. Waymo will try to hide behind their vehicle not being at legal fault. But the issue isn't a legal one. It is about how to avoid such crashes in the first place. The best way to avoid crashes is to have fewer cars, something Waymo does the opposite of.
SF Chronicle reports that Waymo cars still are not able to handle traffic signal outages and had to temporarily discontinue service in areas of San Francisco.
KRON4 reports that Zoox had to recall their entire fleet due to their clankers not being able to avoid active emergency scenes.
SF Chronicle reports how a rider of a robotaxi was attacked and Waymo was completely unhelpful. Shame there was no driver around to maneuver the car out of the dangerous sistuationl
FastCompany reports that cities need to be able restrict robotaxis from areas where there are large events. Otherwise they tend to consistently cause havoc.
Not only is Uber divorcing Waymo but they are also trying to sabotage robotaxis in general.
SF Standard reports that Waymos interfering with emergency responders continues to be completely out of hand. The examples are shocking.
The NHTSA writes a rather direct and nasty letter to robotaxi companies telling them to get their act together and stop interfering with emergency responders.
SF Chronicle reports that a couple of wayward teens managed to ride in a Waymo unaccompanied, which is not legal in California. Drinking, shooting of projectiles, and general hilarity ensued.
SF Standard reports on how once again Waymo vehicles are incompetent at driving and cause complete traffic chaos.
The Independent reports on how a Tesla using FSD was tested for 100 days and experienced more than 500 safety-critical events that requred driver intervention or revealed an important limitation.
Business Insider reports that the DOT will likely grant robotaxi companies the ability to use an unlimited number of vehicles that cannot be driven by a human. But there is a big problem. When the robotaxi goes haywire and blocks traffic then an emergency responder will not be able to drive the vehicle so that it is out of the way.
Once again Waymo allows unattended kids to ride in a Waymo, in violation of California law. And rather shocking they did not stop the ride when they knew the kids were acting dangerously.
Reuters reports that Tesla has once again exaggerated its safety claims creating “an urgent safety problem.” So why is FSD still allowed to be used on our public streets?
