U.S. safety regulators have initiated an investigation into Waymo, a driverless ride-hailing company, based on nearly two dozen reports of its self-driving software causing crashes and failing to comply with traffic laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the launch of a preliminary investigation into Waymo, specifically looking into 22 reported incidents involving Waymo vehicles that were submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI).
The ODI report revealed that the Waymo vehicles were involved in collisions with stationary objects like gates and chains, parked vehicles, and other scenarios where the driverless vehicles did not adhere to traffic control systems. The investigation encompasses approximately 444 units of Waymo’s Jaguar I-Pace vehicles.
The complete ODI summary relating to the NHTSA investigation is available for review. In related news, NHTSA’s interest in understanding how Tesla’s Autopilot monitors drivers is also apparent.
This inquiry reflects the agency’s ongoing attention to the advancement of autonomous driving technology and its associated safety issues.