Emergency Responders Report Worsening Performance from Waymo AVs
Original: Emergency First Responders Say Waymos Are Getting Worse
Why This Matters
Raises safety concerns about rapid AV deployment as Waymo scales operations
Emergency officials from San Francisco and Austin told federal regulators that Waymo autonomous vehicles are causing delays during emergencies by freezing and blocking fire stations. Officials report the vehicles are committing more traffic violations and performance is backsliding despite prior improvements.
Emergency first responders from San Francisco and Austin met with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials to express frustration with Waymo's autonomous vehicles. San Francisco's Emergency Management Director Mary Ellen Carroll reported "backsliding" in vehicle performance and increased traffic violations. Fire Chief Patrick Rabbitt said Waymos frequently block fire station access, with vehicles defaulting to freeze during incidents. Austin Police Lieutenant William White criticized the deployment as "too quick" with "hundreds of vehicles" before technology was ready. The vehicles often fail to recognize officers' hand signals, causing cascading delays. These complaints emerge as Waymo expands to 10 US cities with 500,000 weekly rides, planning service in 10 more cities including London by year-end.