Self-Driving Disaster: Driverless Car from Google’s Waymo Strikes Cyclist in San Francisco

A Waymo self-driving car reportedly struck and injured a cyclist in San Francisco, causing minor injuries and raising concerns over safety as autonomous vehicles continue to undergo real-world testing on public roads.

The Verge reports that a self-driving car built by Google’s Waymo struck and injured a cyclist in San Francisco on the afternoon of Tuesday February 6. The incident occurred at the intersection of 17th and Mississippi Streets in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. According to the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the autonomous vehicle collided with a person on a bicycle, causing non-life threatening injuries.

The Waymo vehicle was stopped at a four-way stop when a large truck began turning into the intersection, according to a statement from Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina. The Waymo car waited for its turn and then proceeded into the intersection, failing to identify the cyclist who was traveling behind the truck.

“The cyclist was occluded by the truck and quickly followed behind it, crossing into the Waymo vehicle’s path,” Ilina explained. “When they became fully visible, our vehicle applied heavy braking but was not able to avoid the collision.”

Waymo contacted the police, but the injured cyclist left the scene on their own, reporting only minor scratches. The passenger inside the Waymo vehicle was unharmed. The SFPD says the incident remains under investigation.

This marks the latest collision involving an autonomous test vehicle in San Francisco at a time when tensions around driverless cars are high. In 2022, a Cruise self-driving car struck a pedestrian, causing serious injuries. That incident led to increased scrutiny of Cruise and other autonomous vehicle companies operating in the city.

As self-driving cars from Waymo, Cruise and others expand testing on public roads, safety advocates argue incidents like this demonstrate the technology is not yet ready for widespread deployment. However, companies claim autonomous vehicles will reduce traffic collisions once perfected.

Waymo states their vehicles are proven safer than human drivers. But city officials have accused Waymo and competitors of obstructing roads and creating hazards. This latest crash will likely raise more concerns over the challenges facing autonomous vehicles in complex urban environments like San Francisco.

Read more at the Verge here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.