Alphabet’s Waymo Probe Expanded After More Robocar Incidents
- NHTSA sends letter seeking details on new safety incidents
- US regulator had started a preliminary investigation on May 13
A Waymo office in Mountain View, California.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThe top US auto-safety regulator expanded its investigation into Waymo, the autonomous-vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., after more incidents were identified in which the company’s cars were involved in collisions or may have violated traffic laws.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation said in a letter to Waymo that it has identified nine additional incidents with similar patterns since it opened a preliminary evaluation on May 13. Reports indicate that 17 Waymo vehicles crashed into objects including gates, chains and parked cars. The agency also cited 5 instances in which the automated-driving system appeared to violate traffic rules, such as driving in opposing lanes with nearby oncoming traffic.