DRIVERLESS WAYMO CAR PULLED OVER BY COP FOR DRIVING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC!! TMZ link
7/5/2024 12:07 PM PT
An Arizona cop got an unexpected surprise when he pulled over a sleek white Jaguar SUV … only to discover there was no one behind the wheel.
Check out the clip … After chasing down a white Jaguar SUV for driving into oncoming traffic and running a red light, an Arizona cop walked up to the car, ready for anything – except finding he had nabbed a driverless Waymo taxi.
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Waymo later explained the vehicle “encountered inconsistent construction signage” and ended up in an oncoming lane of traffic after being “blocked from navigating back into the correct lane” for about 30 seconds. That’s when the officer pulled in behind it.
Phoenix officials noted the incident ended without further action … 'cause, according to dispatch notes, the officer was “unable to issue a citation to the computer.”
ICYDK, Waymo – run by Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. – is designed to pull over when it detects emergency lights and sirens, but looks like this one seriously “freaked out” – well, that’s according to the dispatch notes.
Worst part of driverless tech is that because of a loophole in the laws, they get away with moving violations because it’s the driver at fault, not the company who owns the car or hires the driver, and there’s no driver to cite.
That’s true in California at least, where most of the rollout has been concentrated and judging by the article I wonder if it’s also true in Arizona.
Let’s imagine since the the cop couldn’t find a driver, he instead wrote the ticket to the passenger as the only human aboard. If word spread that you could get a $300 fine just for riding in a Waymo, nobody would ever climb in one again.
It would end up in court, since the reason for using a self driving car is that you aren’t the operator. If the rider was drunk or high, they could be hit with DUI when clearly not driving. It might manage to scrape some culpability from the companies if pursued vigorously enough.
I’m sure that there’s some sort of shrink-wrap-EULA style agreement that triggers when you sit in the car and it starts moving. Probably printed in small, slightly off-colour text on the back of what would be the driver’s seat.
That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the people who are walking, biking, and driving in the same vicinity as a two ton, 60 mph software beta test.
