Waymo, an autonomous vehicle software company owned by the same corporation as Google, has reportedly issued a massive recall after two self-driving cars slammed into a tow truck. The Alphabet subsidiary has already paused its autonomous Class 8 vehicle division, and now California lawmakers are pressuring the governor to ban driverless semi-trucks.
“This voluntary recall reflects how seriously we take our responsibility to safely deploy our technology and to transparently communicate with the public,” a Waymo internet post repeatedly stated.
The pair of collisions occurred in Phoenix, AZ, one after another. Despite recalling 444 vehicles and updating its software, Waymo reportedly blamed the tow truck operator for the incidents.
The towing vehicle was “improperly traveling straight in the middle shared turn lane and the pickup truck being towed was partially occupying the travel lane immediately to the right of the middle shared turn lane,” Waymo reportedly claimed in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The incident comes on the heels of an angry Californian mob torching a Waymo autonomous car in San Francisco on Chinese New Year. A self-driving taxi reportedly struck a pedestrian. Onlookers hit back after watching the individual get dragged down the road by the so-called “robotaxi.” After investigators reportedly declared Cruise officials had not been forthcoming, the company’s permits were pulled. Lawmakers in the Golden State have also been at odds with Gov. Gavin Newsom, pushing legislation to disallow driverless semi-trucks.
While some claim driverless vehicle collisions are rare and the technology improves highway safety, others are skeptical. That being said, Waymo put its driverless semi-truck aspirations on hold in July. At the time, the organization indicated it was funneling its resources to areas more likely to turn higher profits. More specifically, Waymo increased its focus on Cruise, a self-driving taxi outfit backed by General Motors, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart, according to reports.
Although Waymo officials went on the record indicating they would not throw in the towel on autonomous tractor-trailer development, critical staff members moved laterally within the organization, away from Class 8 software.
In the wake of the latest back-to-back collisions, California lawmakers and critics are urging Gov. Newsom to sign legislation that would require all heavy-duty commercial vehicles to have a real person in the cab.
“It’s a common sense measure that keeps humans on board a truck until we have a plan for our workers and we’re sure that tech bros aren’t jamming unsafe technology down our throats,” California Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry reportedly said.
Sources:
https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/26/waymo-puts-the-brakes-on-self-driving-trucks-program/
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/7-roadblocks-widespread-adoption-autonomous-trucking
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