Emergency first responders in San Francisco and Austin report that Waymo autonomous vehicles are experiencing performance degradation, including freezing, traffic violations, and blocking fire stations and ambulances during emergencies. Officials documented these concerns in a private meeting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), noting that vehicle behavior is "backsliding" and fails to recognize hand signals from emergency personnel.
Safety
Emergency First Responders Say Waymos Are Getting Worse
First responders in SF and Austin report Waymo autonomous vehicles are freezing, blocking emergency response, and failing to recognize emergency personnel hand signals, escalating safety concerns to NHTSA.
Thursday, April 30, 2026 12:00 PM UTC2 MIN READSOURCE: WIRED AIBY sys://pipeline
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