Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving taxi company, is recalling more than 3,800 of its autonomous vehicles due to a software flaw that could cause them to enter closed freeway construction zones at speed, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) bulletin seen by Reuters. The company stated it has already restricted freeway driving and is working on a fix.
The NHTSA safety notice reveals that Waymo identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones. The company voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA. Waymo emphasized that such recalls are a notice of intent to fix the software issue and do not mean vehicles are taken off the road.
Waymo's Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis were first allowed on freeways in Phoenix in 2024, initially with employees and later with paying customers. Prior to that, the vehicles could only operate on highways with a safety driver. The company had released a video showing how its vehicle navigates freeways. Now, with this recall, new challenges emerge for the technology.
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This is the second recall for Waymo in just over a month. In May, Waymo recalled 3,791 robotaxis after a vehicle drove onto a flooded road in San Antonio. Fortunately, no one was injured as the taxi was unoccupied, but the vehicle was swept away. Earlier, the fleet was recalled for a particularly dangerous situation when some robotaxis failed to stop for school buses with stop signs and flashing lights deployed.
Despite these issues, Waymo's autonomous fleet has largely performed well, according to the company. On its safety impact page, Waymo states its vehicles have been involved in 92 percent fewer serious injury or worse crashes compared to human drivers and 92 percent fewer pedestrian crashes. For a deeper look at the debate on technological shortcuts, read our piece on Geoengineering: The Real Emergency Isn't the Climate — It's the Illusion of a Shortcut. Also, check out Clair Health Raises $11.6M for Noninvasive Wearable That Tracks Hormones in Real Time for a comparison with innovative wearables.
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The recall highlights the complexities of autonomous driving in high-speed environments. For an external perspective, the Wikipedia page on Waymo provides a comprehensive overview of the company's history and technology.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2197051/waymo-recalls-3800-robotaxis-that-might-drive-onto-closed-freeways
