Waymo has temporarily suspended its services in four cities due to issues related to heavy rain and flooded roads. After being forced to issue a software recall last week due to this issue, the company is now taking measures to ensure the safety of its robotaxis. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .
On Wednesday, a Waymo robotaxi in Atlanta, Georgia, drove into a flooded street and became stuck for about an hour. According to TechCrunch, the vehicle had to be evacuated from the scene. Following this, the company decided to suspend services in Atlanta and San Antonio, Texas. Services have also been temporarily halted in Dallas and Houston due to adverse weather conditions in Texas.
Waymo representatives stated that the severe storm in Atlanta caused flooding before the National Weather Service could issue a warning. In documents submitted to the NHTSA last week, the company admitted that a final solution for avoiding flooded areas has not yet been developed. For now, only an update to limit speed in hazardous areas has been implemented.
The NHTSA stated it is aware of the incident and is in contact with Waymo to ensure necessary measures are taken. This is not the first issue involving Waymo robotaxis. Previously, these autonomous vehicles were investigated for illegally passing school buses.
Currently, the NHTSA and NTSB are conducting two separate investigations into Waymo's operations. Although the company emphasizes that it prioritizes safety, the behavior of robotaxis in complex weather conditions shows that the technology is not yet perfect.
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