Waymo driverless cars are in London, but is this a positive move for road safety?Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty images
Waymo’s driverless cars have been rolling through London for months, although they aren’t taking passengers yet and a human sits ready to seize control if needed. Every time I’ve encountered them, they have seemed cautious and predictable. But recently, I had a near miss.
I was circling a roundabout as I cycled home from work and a Waymo was about to pull onto it in front of me. I had priority, but it didn’t seem to be slowing and looked to be heading straight for me, then suddenly stopped.
It wasn’t the scariest incident I’ve had on a bike – it wasn’t even the worst one that day. I didn’t feel in serious danger; I had seen it happening and was ready. The incident only stood out among the dozens of tense moments that happen on every commute because it was AI behind the wheel, not a person.
Out of curiosity, I sent Waymo the time and place, and asked what had happened. “The ADS [automated driving system] detected a cyclist travelling near the outer edge of the roundabout approaching from the right,” says a company spokesperson. “The safety driver assumed manual control of the vehicle to apply the brakes at the entrance of the roundabout.” In short, the AI didn’t look like it was going to stop, so a human jumped in.
