Worsening Behavior: Emergency Responders Sound Alarm on Waymos
▼ Summary
– First responders from San Francisco and Austin expressed frustration to NHTSA about autonomous vehicles freezing or blocking emergency access, calling them a safety issue for crews and victims.
– San Francisco officials reported backsliding in Waymo’s performance, with more traffic violations and frequent blocking of fire station access.
– Austin police said Waymos often freeze up and fail to recognize officers’ hand signals, causing delays during emergencies.
– A lieutenant in Austin stated the technology was deployed too quickly with too many vehicles before it was ready.
– Waymo is expanding to more cities despite growing political opposition and first-responder complaints, though the company claims to value feedback and has trained over 35,000 emergency responders.
Emergency first responders are escalating their concerns over the behavior of autonomous vehicles, specifically Waymo’s fleet, in a private meeting with federal regulators last month. Leaders from fire, police, and emergency medical services in San Francisco and Austin told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that they are increasingly frustrated with how driverless cars are performing on city streets. One fire official described the vehicles as “a safety issue for our crews as well as the victims,” according to an audio recording obtained by WIRED.
Officials from San Francisco, where Waymo has operated driverless rides for over a year, reported a troubling trend. “We are actually seeing something interesting: backsliding of some things that had improved upon,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management. “They are committing more traffic violations.” Chief Patrick Rabbitt of the San Francisco Fire Department added that Waymo vehicles are frequently blocking fire station access. “Their default is to freeze,” he said, noting that this can prevent firetrucks from responding to emergencies in a “timely and appropriate” way.
In Austin, Lieutenant William White of the Austin Police Department’s Highway Enforcement Command said first responders are often stymied by Waymos “freezing up.” White also pointed out that the vehicles frequently fail to recognize or respond to officers’ hand signals, contradicting what the company had told emergency personnel. This can cause cascading delays during critical incidents. “I believe the technology was deployed too quickly in too vast amounts, with hundreds of vehicles, when it wasn’t really ready,” White said. NHTSA did not respond to requests for comment.
These complaints arrive as Waymo pushes forward with an ambitious expansion across the U. S. and globally. The company currently offers driverless rides in parts of 10 American cities and plans to launch in 10 more by year’s end, including London. Waymo reported last month that it now provides 500,000 paid rides weekly, a figure that has grown tenfold since last year but is still far smaller than human-driven ride-hail services like Uber.
Despite Waymo’s data showing that its technology reduces serious crashes compared to human drivers, the growing pushback from cities where it already operates threatens to slow further rollout. The company already faces political opposition, particularly from organized labor, in dense and potentially lucrative markets such as Boston, New York City, Seattle, and Washington, D. C.
In a statement, Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina emphasized the company’s commitment to safety and collaboration. “We deeply value our partnership with first responders and our shared commitment to safety. Their ongoing feedback has been instrumental in driving impactful improvements to the Waymo service.” The company says it has conducted in-person training for more than 35,000 emergency responders nationwide.
Public Comment Periods
The bluntness of these private comments contrasts with the more measured public statements from city officials. However, they reflect long-simmering frustrations that have been growing since at least late last year. Because autonomous vehicle operations are regulated at the state level in California and Texas, local first responders can only request specific operational changes from companies like Waymo.
On Wednesday, Austin first responders appeared before the City Council to discuss a recent incident where a driverless Waymo blocked an ambulance for two minutes while it was responding to a downtown shooting that killed three people and injured at least 14. While officers eventually connected with Waymo operators, they reported that past connections have taken up to three minutes. They also reiterated that Waymos often fail to respond to hand signals from police, especially those on motorcycles.
Waymo declined to attend the meeting. Two front-row chairs labeled “RESERVED FOR: WAYMO” remained empty throughout the two-hour session.
(Source: Wired)
