|
The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its
preliminary evaluation into an estimated 444 Waymo vehicles
follows 22 reports of 22 incidents including 17 collisions.
The agency said in some of those cases the automated driving
systems "appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices" and
some crashes occurred shortly after the automated driving
systems "exhibited unexpected behavior near traffic safety
control devices."
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This
is the latest in a series of investigations opened by NHTSA into
performance of self-driving vehicles after initiated probes into
General Motors Cruise and Amazon.com's Zoox < AMZN.O>.
In February, Waymo recalled 444 self-driving vehicles after two
minor collisions in quick succession in Arizona, saying a
software error could result in automated vehicles inaccurately
predicting the movement of a towed vehicle.
NHTSA said all 22 incidents included either self-driving crashes
or driverless vehicles that exhibited driving behavior that
potentially violated traffic safety laws.
The incidents include collisions with stationary and
semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains and collisions
with parked vehicles.
NHTSA also cited incidents "such as vehicles driving in opposing
lanes with nearby oncoming traffic or entering construction
zones."
The auto safety agency will investigate the Waymo 5th Generation
automated driving system performance "in the incidents
identified in this resume and similar scenarios, as well as to
more closely assess any commonalities in these incidents."
The investigation, which is the first stage before the agency
could demand a recall if it believes the vehicles pose an
unreasonable risk to safety, will evaluate Waymo vehicles
performance "in detecting and responding to traffic control
devices and in avoiding collisions with stationary and
semi-stationary objects and vehicles."
Waymo said in March it was beginning to offer free driverless
robotaxi services to select members of the public in Los Angeles
after receiving approval from a state agency to start its
ride-hailing program, Waymo One, in Los Angeles and some cities
near San Francisco.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrew Heavens and
Tomasz Janowski)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
