Waymo Collision Illustrates Why Society Might Eventually Ban Human Driving

On October 19, a Waymo Pacifica struck and injured a motorcyclist in California. As is often the case, the collision was caused by a human - in this instance, the safety driver in the Waymo vehicle. In an unusual twist, however, Waymo CEO John Krafcik revealed that if the safety operator had not taken control of the autonomous minivan, then the self-driving software would have avoided a collision. Our simulation shows the self-driving system would have responded to the passenger car by reducing our vehicle's speed, and nudging slightly in our own lane, avoiding a collision." Waymo Autonomous Vehicle ("WaymoAV") was traveling at approximately 21 MPH westbound in Lane 2 of El Camino Real in Mountain View in self-driving mode. A passenger vehicle in Lane 1, to the left of the Waymo AV, began to change lanes into Lane2 to avoid a box truck blocking two lanes of traffic, Waymo's test driver took manual control of the AV out of an abundance of caution, disengaged from self-driving mode, and began changing lanes into Lane 3. A motorcycle, traveling at approximately 28 MPH behind the Waymo AV, had just entered Lane 3 to overtake the Waymo AV on its right. The motorcyclist reported injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment. The Waymo AV sustained minor damage to the rear bumper."