Alphabet’s Waymo this week recalled greater than 1,200 self-driving automobiles over a software program glitch that might make the vehicles extra prone to crash into chains, gates and different roadway boundaries following an investigation by auto security regulators.
A minimum of 16 such collisions have been reported in Waymo vehicles driving with its fifth Technology Automated Driving Methods between 2022 and 2024, based on a recall report printed by the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration. No accidents associated to the crashes have been reported.
Waymo mentioned it rolled out a software program replace to the fleet of 1,212 automobiles by December 2024 that fastened the glitch.
“Waymo provides more than 250,000 paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the US,” a Waymo spokesperson advised The Submit in a press release.
“We hold ourselves to a high safety standard, and our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer,” the spokesperson mentioned, including that Waymo will proceed to work with the NHTSA.
The site visitors security company final Might launched an investigation into Waymo’s self-driving automobiles following experiences of the robotaxis probably violating site visitors security legal guidelines.
On the time, regulators recognized not less than seven minor collisions with Waymo automobiles involving “clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid.”
The investigation stays open.
Waymo mentioned it was already engaged on its software program replace when the security company launched its probe.
It’s not the primary time Waymo – which operates greater than 1,500 robotaxis in main cities throughout the nation – has run into issues with its autonomous software program.
The corporate recalled 444 self-driving automobiles in February after two of its robotaxis crashed back-to-back into the identical pickup truck being towed away. It claimed a defective software program replace may lead to robotaxis inaccurately predicting the motion of towed automobiles.
Waymo recalled almost 700 extra robotaxis in June a month after considered one of its automobiles struck a wood phone pole in Phoenix, Arizona. It resulted in injury to the automotive. No passengers or bystanders have been injured within the crash.
