Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing service, intends to initiate a voluntary software recall following multiple reports of its self-driving taxis unlawfully breaching the stop signals of stationary school buses.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) commenced an investigation in October, prompted by a report indicating that a Waymo autonomous vehicle did not halt while approaching a school bus, which had its red lights flashing and stop arm extended.
In September, WXIA-TV in Atlanta broadcast footage demonstrating a Waymo vehicle maneuvering around a halted school bus.
The NHTSA site also features a letter from the Austin Independent School District, which detailed 19 occurrences where Waymo vehicles allegedly “illegally and perilously” passed the district’s school buses.
According to the letter, signed by the district’s senior legal advisor, there was an instance where a Waymo vehicle drove past a stationary bus “mere moments after a student crossed in front of it, and while the student remained on the roadway.”
In correspondence with NPR, Waymo’s Chief Safety Officer, Mauricio Peña, articulated the company’s commitment to safety, declaring, “Upholding our esteemed safety record necessitates acknowledging instances where our conduct must be improved.”
Peña announced that Waymo aims “to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA” and will persist in scrutinizing vehicle performance while implementing requisite adjustments.
The firm has pinpointed a software malfunction that presumably contributed to these incidents, positing that forthcoming updates will rectify the issue. Waymo anticipates filing the voluntary recall next week and emphasizes that no injuries have ensued as a result of this complication.
A subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent organization of Google, Waymo has consistently prioritized safety in its public communications, evidencing that its driverless vehicles experience significantly fewer accidents compared to those operated by humans.
In the locales of Operation, Waymo reports a 91% reduction in serious injury crashes and a 92% decrease in pedestrian injury incidents.
Independent reviews from tech news outlet Ars Technica and the newsletter Understanding AI corroborate Waymo’s assertion that its AVs are safer than those operated by humans. Nonetheless, federal regulators are demanding more comprehensive data regarding these incidents.
According to NHTSA, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles surpassed the milestone of 100 million miles driven last July, accruing an additional 2 million miles weekly. In light of this and ongoing discussions with Waymo, the agency surmises that “the probability of prior analogous incidents is considerable.”
This past week, NHTSA investigators dispatched a set of specific inquiries regarding these episodes to Waymo as part of their investigation.
The agency has requested documentation of similar occurrences along with insights into the company’s response strategy. A deadline of January 20, 2026, has been established for Waymo’s response.
Source link: News.prairiepublic.org.
