The streets of Phoenix became the backdrop for an unusual traffic stop when a Phoenix Police officer pulled over an empty Waymo driverless car after it was seen driving on the wrong side of the road. The incident, captured on the officer's body camera, unfolded on June 19 when the autonomous vehicle was apparently thrown off by inconsistent road signage amidst construction work. The vehicle's misadventure was corroborated by a video posted on Facebook by user Thisisbutter, showing the moment the robotaxi was confronted by law enforcement, as mentioned by The Canberra Times.
Witnesses and passersby watched on as the officer approached the Waymo car—based on a Jaguar I-Pace—only to find no driver to hold accountable. According to police dispatch records, the vehicle "freaked out" after the officer activated the siren and lights, proceeding to run a red light before coming to a halt. The body camera footage sheds light on the oddity of policing a new breed of vehicles navigating our streets.
When reached for comments, the Phoenix Police highlighted that while they can issue citations to Waymont, it is not a common occurrence. Sgt. Brian Bower from Phoenix Police shed some light on the procedures in place for such encounters in an interaction with FOX 10, stating, "Waymo also makes it very easy for law enforcement to simply press the help button, and get connected immediately to a 24/7 service member that will be able to talk them through moving the vehicle off the road, finding the insurance information, and whatever information the officer needs for their investigation." Additionally, Waymo vehicles come equipped with technology to detect emergency vehicles and are programmed to pull over safely—an autonomous response to a human command.
Despite the incident and previous encounters with Waymo vehicles driving erratically, as Phoenix citizen Phil Briggs recounted to FOX 10, the driverless car company maintains that their cars are significantly safer than human drivers. In fact, Waymo stated, "Waymo cars are better drivers than humans and are three-and-a-half times more likely to avoid crashes." This claim, however, does little to quell the concerns of those like Briggs, who've had close calls with autonomous vehicles. The discussion around accountability and safety in the era of driverless cars continues to evolve with these on-road experiences.
As evidenced by a statement provided to The Arizona Republic, concerning the recent Waymo incident, the spokesperson claimed that the robotaxi had "encountered inconsistent construction signage" and was "blocked from navigating back into the correct lane."
