Waymo robotaxis seem to get into accidents far less often than human motorists do. (According to the company’s self-reported data, that is actually the case.) But that doesn’t mean they’re anywhere close to flawless drivers. In fact, they’re horrible improvisers.
Just ask the journalist Joe Miller, who recalls in the Financial Times how his Waymo barged into a roadway cleared for the presidential motorcade, after it couldn’t follow the directions given by beleaguered police officers.
“I was 10 minutes into my first trip in a driverless car when I realized my vehicle was potentially obstructing the president of the United States,” Mill wrote.
Miller was staying in Dallas, where Waymo has been testing its cars since last year, and recently open its service up to the public. Rushing his way to the Republic midterm convention, he decided to hop into one of the self-driving cars. It was driving without a hitch until it stopped at an intersection where police were diverting cars — and “my autonomous chaffeur was refusing to obey,” Miller recalled.
