According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ), Google’s Waymo self-driving vehicles may be causing significant issues on the roads, including collisions with stationary objects and ignoring traffic signals.
Ars Technica reports that , Waymo, a Google firm, is facing attention from the NHTSA over its personal- driving cars ‘ possible health risks. The Office of Defects Investigation ( ODI) is now looking into the cause of 22 incident reports involving vehicles fitted with Waymo’s fifth-generation automated driving system.
Of the 22 event information, 17 involved incidents with zero reported injuries. These studies were sourced both from Waymo and publicly accessible resources. Several incidents, including single-party collisions with fixed and semi-stationary things like gates and chains, as well as instances of Waymo vehicles disobeying traffic safety power devices, were documented.
The ODI compares these incidents to assess ability health risks and recommends updates to prevent car malfunction. According to preliminary analysis from the OD I’s analysis, Waymo’s automated drivoing systems ( ADS ) frequently appear engaged throughout the incident or abruptly disengaged in the moments leading up to an accident. This investigation serves as a preliminary stage before the NHTSA might start a remember. Earlier this year, Waymo had recalled more than 400 personal- driving vehicles due to back- to- up crashes in Arizona.
Waymo primarily relies on machine learning to “interpret complex thing and field language” to ensure their cars ‘ safe transportation on highways. They specifically concentrate on responding to erratic weather patterns and less predictable emergency vehicle movements, making it clear that navigating roads requires unpredictability.
Waymo acknowledged in a blog post that a software glitch caused a “backwards-facing pickup truck being improperly towed” in December 2023 when two separate Waymo vehicles collided. The manufacturer claimed that this was a uncommon problem that left no injuries and just minor car damage. Within 10 days, Waymo released a software update to fix the problem, describing it as an “orientation mismatch”.
A Waymo spokesperson confirmed in a recent statement that the company provides riders with more than 50 000 weekly trips in some of the most challenging and complex environments. Waymo claimed that regardless of any collisions, it evaluates each case individually and keeps updating its ADS software to improve performance.
Waymo vehicles unintendedly entering construction sites could lead to serious injuries or even fatalities as a result of the NHTSA investigation. Over 800 people die annually from work zone fatal traffic crashes, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
The NHTSA appears to be keeping an eye on the self-driving car industry, which has resulted in the recall of over 900 cruise cars and a staggering 2 million Teslas in the last year. As evidenced by their recent concerns regarding Tesla’s Autopilot updates, the NHTSA may need more than just safety software updates.
Read more here at Ars Technica.
For Breitbart News, Lucas Nolan reports on issues involving free speech and online censorship.
