{"id":4257,"date":"2025-12-09T04:38:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T04:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/12\/09\/waymo-runs-into-safety-concerns-and-competition-as-it-expands-in-the-us\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T04:38:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T04:38:06","slug":"waymo-runs-into-safety-concerns-and-competition-as-it-expands-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/12\/09\/waymo-runs-into-safety-concerns-and-competition-as-it-expands-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Waymo runs into safety concerns and competition as it expands in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p><strong>San Francisco, the United States:<\/strong> The sidewalk outside Majed Zeidan\u2019s grocery store in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District has stayed filled with flowers, candles, memorials and pictures since his cat was crushed under a Waymo in late October. A month later, a Waymo reportedly crushed a dog.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the pictures of the cat, a visitor had placed a poster that said, \u201csave the cat, kill the car\u201d. That\u2019s when Zeidan knew Kit Kat, his bodega cat, had become the face of the simmering discontent over San Francisco\u2019s growing number of self-driving cars.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/12\/8\/india-travel-chaos-are-pilots-overworked\">India travel chaos: Are pilots overworked compared to other countries?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2025\/12\/8\/paramount-goes-hostile-in-its-bid-for-warner-bros-discovery\">Paramount goes hostile in its bid for Warner Bros Discovery<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/12\/8\/2026-golden-globes-which-films-got-nominations-and-who-was-snubbed\">Golden Globes 2026: Which films got nominations, and who was snubbed?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/12\/8\/trump-announces-12bn-package-to-aid-farmers-hurt-by-his-tariffs\">Trump announces $12bn package to aid farmers hurt by his tariffs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Two years since it got approved to ply its driverless cars, Waymo, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, has become a part of San Francisco\u2019s landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Residents became increasingly comfortable riding one, costumed Halloween parade goers clambered on its rooftops and danced, and pedestrians occasionally banged its bonnet to get it to give way to them.<\/p>\n<p>In November, Waymo got approvals for its biggest expansions so far \u2013 to ply on the Bay Area\u2019s freeways and pick up passengers from San Jose International Airport. Waymo also started, or is about to start, services in Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Miami and Washington, DC, in the last few weeks.<\/p>\n<p>But the expansion comes with heightened safety concerns and new competition. Amazon\u2019s Zoox driverless vehicle has begun running in the Mission, too. And Zeidan says the Kit Kat incident opened pent-up resentment over the melding of the new entrants into the city\u2019s hilly, colourful streets.<\/p>\n<p>Around Kit Kat\u2019s memorials is a poster with a barcode to sign a petition, moved by Jackie Fielder, the area\u2019s representative to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, that autonomous vehicles should have oversight from city authorities and not just state authorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWaymo is operating in something of a laissez-faire environment right now,\u201d says California State Senator Dave Cortese, who chairs the state assembly\u2019s transportation committee and whose district encompasses San Jose and other Silicon Valley cities where Waymo services recently began.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) regulate the testing and approval process for autonomous vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy sense is that Waymo\u2019s ability to grow without legislation will not last too long. I just hope it doesn\u2019t take a tragedy for it to happen,\u201d says Cortese, who had also tabled a bill in the California State Assembly to bring autonomous vehicles under the ambit of local authorities, including firefighters and police.<\/p>\n<p>Waymo\u2019s website says its vehicles have been in 91 percent fewer accidents, and 92 percent less accidents involving pedestrian injuries than vehicles driven by people. Waymo did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Kit Kat, Waymo said in a statement at the time of the cat\u2019s death, \u201cdarted under our vehicle as it was pulling away. We send our deepest sympathies to the cat\u2019s owner and the community who knew and loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steve Larson, a former executive director of the CPUC, says Waymo\u2019s stellar safety record and successful rollout is at least partly because regulators \u201cgave Waymo good advice and [the two organisations] took their time in getting things right\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Karl Brauer, an automation writer and analyst with iSeeCars.com, says he was \u201csceptical\u201d that before the end of the decade, self-driving cars would be as widespread as they are now. Better sensors and an improved ability to process information from videos have led to the success of Waymo, in particular, Brauer says.<\/p>\n<p>But Waymo\u2019s biggest expansion so far will be tested as more autonomous vehicles hit the road and Waymo itself drives further afield into uncharted territory.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4160735\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4160735\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25317007727959-1765216564.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25317007727959-1765216564.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Waymo\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4160735\">Waymo is allowed to ply on the Bay Area\u2019s freeways and pick up passengers from San Jose International Airport [File: Godofredo A Vasquez\/AP Photo]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"no-driver-to-scream-at\">\u2018No driver to scream at\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Zeidan had kept Kit Kat in his grocery store, Randa\u2019s Market, for six years. \u201cHe recognised regular customers and followed them around,\u201d Zeidan recalled. \u201cThey rubbed his tummy.\u201d From his bed, Kit Kat kept an eye on the store\u2019s entryway on busy 16th Street, with its independent movie theatre, bars and restaurants. He became known as \u201cmayor of 16th Street\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would rub his butt and his tail would go up,\u201d recalled one regular customer, at Randa\u2019s to buy beer on credit. \u201cHe would affectionately paw at us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On October 27, Zeidan got a call a little before midnight from a bartender at a neighbourhood bar saying Kit Kat had been in an accident. A Waymo had stopped outside his closed store and Kit Kat had crouched under it. A lady nearby spotted Kit Kat and called her to come out, but she didn\u2019t. She tapped the car so it would not move.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was no driver to scream at,\u201d Zeidan says. Soon, the car moved, crushing the cat underneath. On Thursday, Zeidan released security footage confirming how Kit Kat had died.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Moura, professor and director of the Energy, Controls, &#038; Applications Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, says the Kit Kat accident represents a challenge for autonomous vehicle software development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPerception, prediction and planning are the key aspects of this software, and the bodega cat incident is indicative of perception since the car could not make out the cat was there,\u201d Moura says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hardest part, though, might be predicting what to do when it does know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This may have been the case with the dog, since it was said to be unleashed and may have run onto the street, according to media reports, which said the dog had died.<\/p>\n<p>Waymo said in a public statement, \u201cUnfortunately, a Waymo vehicle made contact with a small, unleashed dog in the roadway. We are dedicated to learning from this situation and how we show up for our community as we continue improving road safety in the cities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moura expects perception and prediction issues to come up more as more autonomous vehicles come onto city streets and freeways and more cities with different weather.<\/p>\n<p>Brauer of iSeeCars.com says that while Waymo has been in San Francisco and expanded mostly to warmer cities such as Dallas and Miami, being in cities with snow could clog its sensors and make perception hard. \u201cWeather will be a big factor for Waymo sensors and its expansion plans,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4151447\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4151447\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-05-at-2.43.11-AM-2-1764914212.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-05-at-2.43.11-AM-2-1764914212.jpeg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"kitkat\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4151447\">The death of Kit Kat has revealed the pent-up anger against self-driving cars and how they are changing San Francisco\u2019s streets [Saumya Roy\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for prediction, \u201cdriving is social\u201d, Moura says, noting, \u201cwe want cars to anticipate and act accordingly\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He has looked at what kinds of signals autonomous vehicles can give people, leading to better coordination between the two. This could include LED lights or voice announcements that the car is turning or dropping off passengers \u2013 signals that Moura found to be valuable.<\/p>\n<p>This could lead self-driving cars to look and feel quite different from conventional cars. Some such unique features have been included in the Amazon-backed Zoox vehicle that is also running in a few San Francisco areas, including the Mission, since November. There is a waitlist of customers to try it. Zoox, which does not resemble a traditional car, does not have a steering wheel and can seamlessly move forward and backward.<\/p>\n<p>Waymo is also adding custom-made vehicles from Zeekr, a Chinese carmaker, and Hyundai, along with its more than 1,500-car-strong fleet from Jaguar.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"cuts-to-public-transport\">Cuts to public transport<\/h2>\n<p>But the entry of Zoox, along with the expansion of Waymo, has also raised concerns about the nature of San Francisco streets and the city itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the issues we\u2019ve had will now be exacerbated,\u201d says Claire Amable, director of advocacy at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which pushes for the city to encourage sustainable transport.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, she wrote to the CPUC after an incident when she was leading a children\u2019s cycling trip and a Waymo came up close to the children at the back of the group. The organisers had to bang on the roof of the car to stop it before it hit the children.<\/p>\n<p>Even as self-driving cars become more common, public transport is underfunded and needs to be prioritised, Amable told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>In August, for instance, city authorities allowed autonomous cars and ride-hailing services on Market Street, the city\u2019s commercial hub, after three years of it being car free. At the same time, bus services have been reduced on the street due to budget cuts.<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0 spokesperson for the city\u2019s transit authority declined a request to comment for this story.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4160742\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4160742\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25322506981765-1765216885.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25322506981765-1765216885.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Zoox\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4160742\">Amazon\u2019s Zoox self-driving vehicle is posing some competition to Waymo [File: John Locher\/AP Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Amable and others have pushed for a phased rollout of self-driving cars. But easy availability of Robotaxis may in fact hurt an already underfunded public transit system as well as sustainable transportation such as cycling.<\/p>\n<p>Joel Smith had always cycled to work at a well-known city grocery store. But when he sent his bike for repairs last month, Smith downloaded the Waymo app and took his first ride. \u201cIt was such a comfortable ride and the best thing is I could play whatever music I want, at the volume I want.\u201d He plans to mix Waymo rides with biking now that his bike is back.<\/p>\n<p>Brauer says the rapid development of artificial intelligence to quickly process not just language but video in real time has led to the faster-than-expected success of self-driving cars. It meant Waymo could see incoming traffic or people very well and drive accordingly without mishaps. Cruise autonomous vehicles from General Motors \u2013 cars that launched along with Waymo \u2013 had been in an accident with a pedestrian in 2023 , and have since discontinued service. But Waymo\u2019s safety record allowed it to expand, and it has done so in a measured way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey may be safer, but that doesn\u2019t mean the government should not do its job,\u201d says Senator Cortese, who is considering bringing back a version of a previous bill asking for more local regulation for Robotaxis. \u201cRegulation helps companies to develop products safely and reduce liability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brauer believes that constant improvement in the ability to see and process input from the road means that by 2028-2030, \u201cwe will be surprised to see the number of non-human cars across the US\u201d, and \u201cthis will be the inflexion point where this became possible\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Zeidan has made baseball caps and T-shirts that say #Remembering Kit Kat to sell at his store. He believes the merchandise memorialises Kit Kat but also brings together the city\u2019s bubbling opposition to the rapid growth of self-driving cars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Francisco, the United States: The sidewalk outside Majed Zeidan\u2019s grocery store in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District has stayed filled with flowers, candles, memorials and pictures since his cat was crushed under a Waymo in late October. A month later, a Waymo reportedly crushed a dog. Amid the pictures of the cat, a visitor had &#8230; <a title=\"Waymo runs into safety concerns and competition as it expands in the US\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/12\/09\/waymo-runs-into-safety-concerns-and-competition-as-it-expands-in-the-us\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Waymo runs into safety concerns and competition as it expands in the US\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}