Waymo’s self-driving capabilities were recently put to the test in downtown Los Angeles when a robotaxi was nearly smashed into by a pair of dangerous drivers in an adjoining lane.
In a video and caption shared to X, formerly Twitter, Waymo Co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov notes that “driving can sometimes be nerve-racking,” but in this case, artificial intelligence prevented a collision.
The video shows a Waymo vehicle in a middle lane surrounded by other cars when, as the traffic light turns green, one vehicle attempts to use what appears to be a bus lane to quickly overtake another car, then slams on the brakes.
To avoid the now-stopped car in front of it, the other vehicle swerves left, and the video shows the Waymo vehicle doing the same, avoiding contact with other cars in the process.
The Waymo waits for the other two vehicles to leave, then enters a turn lane as the other two continue to drive erratically.
Dolgov praised the technology for avoiding a serious crash.
“Rewarding to see the [Waymo] Driver’s AI making fast real-time decisions in messy situations and getting our riders safely to their destinations,” Dolgov added.
A Waymo spokesperson is working to get more information on the incident, and this story will be updated when those details are received.
