Police Pull Over Self-Driving Waymo For Stupidly Pulling Illegal U-Turn In Front Of Them
I mean, isn't that something they teach you not to do in drivers' ed?
I'm fascinated by self-driving cars. I mean, sure, I like driving out on the open road as much as the next very handsome, red-blooded American male, but do you know what else sounds pretty great? Letting the car drive while I sit there eating lunch and watching The Simpsons on my phone.
This technology is getting so advanced that we now have driverless cars committing minor traffic violations just like people.
Waymo is one of the companies on the vanguard of this technology, and it is currently operating driverless car services in select cities. However, over the weekend, one of its cars got caught popping an illegal U-ey.
According to a post on the department's Facebook page, the San Bruno (California) Police Department and some officers were running a DUI operation over the weekend when a car pulled an illegal U-turn right in front of them.
However, when they stopped the car — I have no idea how they managed to do that — the boys in blue discovered there was no driver to issue a ticket to. Instead, officers called Waymo and told the company what had happened in hopes that it would fix the "glitch."
Although I'd argue the glitch was pulling that U-turn right in front of the cops.
That's just stupid.
This is obviously one of those cases where technology is moving far faster than — and I hope you're sitting down for this — the legislative process.
"For those who believe that we are being lenient, there is legislation in the works that will allow officers to issue the company notices," the San Bruno PD post reads.
Still, I'm impressed by how lifelike these cars are getting. Popping an illegal U-ey is about as human as it gets.
I mean, I'm a chronic rule-follower, but even I sometimes have to throw caution to the wind and wheel my 2022 Kia Forte 180 degrees because I missed a turn.
But, Waymo, let's patch up that software so someone isn't late for their flight because the car ignores one of the most fundamental of traffic rules.