Robotaxi Circumvents Stationary School Bus With Children in Proximity, Sparking Federal Investigation | Carscoops

      Regulators are looking into Waymo after one of its robotaxis drove past a halted school bus.

      The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation involving 2,000 Waymo robotaxis following an incident with a bus.

      A robotaxi bypassed a stationary school bus that had its flashing red lights activated.

      There were no reported injuries, but this raised significant safety worries for regulators.

      While autonomous driving technology appears to be on the horizon, the timeline for its full adoption remains uncertain. Although there have been notable advancements over the past decade, certain scenarios still prove challenging for AI-operated vehicles.

      The NHTSA has begun an inquiry into approximately 2,000 Waymo vehicles due to unsafe actions near school buses.

      As reported, a Waymo vehicle in Georgia drove around a halted school bus, despite the bus displaying its stop sign and lights.

      The robotaxi reportedly approached from a side road, stopped initially, but then continued, moving around the bus's extended stop arm and stop sign.

      Fortunately, the incident occurred when no children were present on the road, and no injuries were reported. Nonetheless, the situation was concerning enough for the NHTSA to seek an investigation. Waymo indicated that the vehicle was equipped with a fifth-generation automated driving system.

      When the incident took place, there was no safety driver in the vehicle. The federal agency will assess how the technology and hardware comply with school bus traffic safety regulations and similar circumstances.

      Waymo confirmed the investigation in a statement to Car and Driver, noting that it has "already developed and implemented improvements concerning stops for school buses" and plans further updates in a forthcoming software release.

      The company explained that the robotaxi approached the bus from a position where the flashing lights and stop sign were not visible and stressed that it "maintained a safe distance from children."

      That being said, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, the NHTSA investigation reveals.

      How Should Cars Perceive the Road?

      The field of autonomous driving is continuously debating the best methodologies. Waymo relies on radar and lidar, while Tesla notably avoids both, opting for a vision-based system instead.

      In this instance, one could easily speculate that a purely visual system might have detected the issue more promptly.