The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that self-driving car companies must quickly fix "systemic issues" when their vehicles repeatedly obstruct law enforcement and rescue forces, according to Reuters.
In a letter to industry businesses, Jonathan Morrison, head of NHTSA, said the agency has recorded many cases of autonomous vehicles (AVs) driving directly into active accident scenes. Other vehicles have blocked ambulances and fire trucks or failed to recognize and react to basic warning signals like flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire, and traffic cones.
"I want to be clear: The inability to detect and respond appropriately to these situations represents a functional weakness", Morrison emphasized.
 |
A fleet of Waymo robotaxis on a street in Austin, Texas. *Photo: Patrick Moorhead*
NHTSA announced it would schedule a meeting with autonomous vehicle developers later this month to find solutions, while urging operators to thoroughly address the problem. The agency's letter also stated: "An autonomous vehicle that cannot safely interact with emergency responders poses a danger to the community".
The regulatory body did not name specific incidents or the companies that received the letter. However, Texas media reported that in late May, a Waymo self-driving car in Dallas blocked part of a fire truck's access as firefighters approached a burning apartment building.
A Waymo robotaxi turns around and blocks a fire truck in Texas, US. *Video: Matthew Turnage*
Earlier, several videos circulated on social media also showed Waymo vehicles blocking ambulances and driving into active police scenes.
Both NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating separate incidents involving Waymo self-driving cars. One such incident involved passing a stopped school bus with its warning lights activated.
The other incident occurred on 23/1, when a Waymo autonomous vehicle struck a 9-year-old girl in a school zone in Santa Monica, California, as she ran across the street from behind a parked SUV to enter the school.
My Anh
