Waymo car delivers misbehaving teens to California police
A group of teenagers who were misbehaving in a moving vehicle in California ended up being driven to the police by the driverless Waymo car they had been interfering with. The autonomous vehicle detected the disturbance and transported the teens to where police were waiting, leading to their detention.
Background
- Waymo is the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet (Google's parent). Its autonomous taxis operate in several US cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.
- This incident occurred in Los Angeles, where a group of teenagers was reportedly "misbehaving" (likely vandalizing or harassing) a Waymo vehicle. The car, which has no human driver, pulled itself over and contacted the police, effectively delivering the teens to authorities.
- The story highlights a novel application of autonomous vehicle safety features: when a Waymo detects a threat (such as people surrounding or tampering with it), it can alert police and maneuver to a safe stop.
- It matters because it shows how autonomous vehicles might change routine policing and public behavior — a car that can call the cops on you by itself is a new kind of surveillance and enforcement tool.