A Waymo self-driving car has been caught on camera seemingly breaking traffic laws on Van Ness Avenue, a main thoroughfare in San Francisco. Footage captured by a local viewer and reported by SFist shows the autonomous vehicle cruising in the red 'bus only' lane and preparing to execute what is signposted as an illegal left-hand turn.
The incident, documented over the weekend, raises questions about the safety and readiness of self-driving technology as Waymo, a leader in the industry, is gearing up for an expansion. The concerning footage was caught at the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Post Street, with the vehicle positioned to maneuver against posted traffic regulations. According to SFist, no statement regarding the indiscretion has been returned from Waymo. However, questions persist about how these incidents are logged and addressed, as the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority (SFMTA) has made it clear that self-driving cars are not allowed in the red transit-only lanes.
Safety experts have voiced concerns about the readiness of this technology for public roads. Phil Koopman, a seasoned scholar in self-driving vehicle safety from Carnegie Mellon University, spoke to KGO about the potential gaps in the technology. "We're seeing a lot of loose ends that the technology isn't quite there, the companies are claiming it's safer but things like driving the wrong way down the street as long as there is no crash they would say don't count for unsafe," Koopman remarked, questioning the metrics used to evaluate the safety of these autonomous systems.
On the flip side, some industry academics maintain a positive outlook on the evolution and current state of autonomous driving. Levent Ertaul, chair of the Computer Science Department at Cal State East Bay, told KGO that the technology is "pretty safe" and anticipates further improvements as AI advances from rule-based to self-learning systems. "I believe that autonomous cars has a future and I believe that future is already here, and I experienced it myself and I believe Waymo is really, really good and really, really safe stuff," says Ertaul, expressing confidence in the progress and safety of Waymo's driverless vehicles.
