Federal safety regulators discovered nine additional incidents raising questions about the safety of Waymo's self-driving cars operating in Phoenix and San Francisco.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defect Investigation began an investigation into Waymo's self-driving car software earlier this month after receiving 22 reports of robotaxi making unexpected movements, causing crashes and potentially violating traffic safety laws. The investigation, designated a 'preliminary evaluation', is examining the software's ability to prevent collisions with stationary objects and how well it detects and reacts to 'traffic safety control devices' such as cones.
The agency said Friday it had added another nine cases since the investigation began. Waymo could not be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the article once the Alphabet-owned company responds.
Waymo has reported some of these incidents. The rest were discovered by regulators through public posts on social media and forums such as Reddit, YouTube, and X. An additional nine incidents include reports of Waymo robotaxi colliding with gates, utility poles and parked cars, and driving in the wrong lane with oncoming traffic nearby. And into the construction zone.
ODI is concerned that robotaxi “may exhibit unexpected driving behavior, which may increase the risk of collisions, property damage, and injury.” The agency said it was not aware of any injuries resulting from these crashes, but said they included several collisions with visible objects that “a competent driver would be expected to avoid.” The agency also expressed concern that some of these incidents occurred near pedestrians.
NHTSA gave Waymo until June 11 to answer a series of questions related to the investigation.
NHTSA has stepped up its scrutiny of autonomous driving technology. Earlier this month, the agency began investigating self-driving cars operated by Amazon-backed Zoox. The investigation was launched after two reports of a self-driving Toyota Highlander being struck by a motorcycle after the SUV applied its brakes unexpectedly.
