As Waymo’s driverless vehicles begin rolling out in more cities, people are taking a closer look at their safety.
Over the weekend, a video went viral showing a Waymo car driving within feet of a man whom police had ordered out of his vehicle and onto the ground before arresting him.
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In a statement to multiple news outlets, a spokesperson for Waymo said, “When we encounter unusual events like this one, we learn from them as we continue improving road safety and operating in dynamic cities.”
There have also been reports of Waymo vehicles hitting dogs, cats and other cars.
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While crashes involving autonomous vehicles are concerning, Waymo maintains that its cars are safer than those operated by humans. The company says that compared to an average human driver over the same distance in its operating cities, the Waymo Driver had about 90% fewer serious injury or worse crashes.
Waymo is currently serving riders in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and the San Francisco area. Drivers in Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando will also begin seeing Waymo vehicles on the road in the weeks ahead.
"The data demonstrates the Waymo Driver is improving road safety in the cities we serve, including involvement in 11 times fewer serious injury collisions compared to human drivers," Waymo said in a statement.
