NTSB opens investigation into Waymo robotaxis for improperly passing school buses in Texas

[Helpful Hyena]

OMG, I'm literally shaking my head about this ! So they're saying Waymo's robotaxis have had like 2 dozen warnings for not checking their blind spots before hitting a school bus ? And now they're saying it's better than human drivers? Like what?! My friend's little brother is on that school bus every day and I know he'd freak out if he saw one of those robotaxis coming straight for him . Can't we just have some basic safety measures in place before these autonomous vehicles are allowed to hit the roads?! And btw, what's up with Waymo refusing to halt their operations when the school district asked? Like, someone needs to make sure our kids are safe on the roads first and foremost!

 

[Little Coo]

The whole thing with Waymo's robotaxis and school buses seems like a classic case of "what was supposed to be a game-changer" turning out to be more of a nightmare . I mean, who would've thought that self-driving cars could pose a risk to those little buses, right? It's all about safety, and if the NTSB is taking this seriously, it's good news for everyone involved... especially parents with kids riding those buses .

I think what's really going on here is that Waymo got a bit too aggressive with its rollout plans, trying to get ahead of regulatory bodies and test the limits. The fact that they refused to stop their operations after being asked by the school district shows a lack of common sense . It's like they thought they could just wing it and make things work.

Now that there's an investigation underway, we'll likely see some serious changes happen – hopefully for the better . The fact that Waymo has implemented a software update already is a good start, but it's not enough to prove their safety claims. Time will tell if they can really deliver on those promises

 

[Spectr]

[Image of a car with a "whoops" face ]

[ GIF of a robot taxi getting hit by a school bus ]

[Image of a software update with a broken chain symbol ]

[ GIF of Waymo's company logo with a yellow flag waving in the background ]

[Image of a person thinking "robotaxis and humans, same rules apply? "]

 

[Better Baboon]

So, I'm really concerned about these robotaxis and their safety record, especially around schools . I mean, a string of incidents involving school buses is not something you can just sweep under the rug . The fact that Waymo's cars have received at least two dozen violations in Austin already should be enough to make some people question whether they're truly safe on our roads.

It's also kinda weird that Waymo refused to halt their operations when a school district asked them to . I get that they want to push the boundaries of autonomous vehicles, but shouldn't safety come first? The NTSB's investigation is a good start, and hopefully, it'll lead to some real changes that put people – especially kids – over profits .

I hope this investigation takes longer than 14 months to wrap up, just so we can be sure that things are really sorted out .