NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation into estimated 444 Waymo vehicles

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Waymo, a company that operates autonomous vehicles, is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety administration as of this week.

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A report opened Monday by the Office of Defects Investigation said that 444 Waymo 5 ^th generation automated driving system products were being investigated. It said automated driving systems (ADS) “behavior was causing single-party crashes and potential traffic safety law violations.”

“ The review will look into reports of single vehicle crashes, think hitting gates, chains, parked cars, among other unexplained traffic violations,” said KCBS Radio reporter Mike DeWald, citing San Jose State Professor of engineering Ahmed Bonhoeffer.

According to its website , Waymo’s history goes back to autonomous vehicle tests from 2009. It was established as an independent company under Google parent company Alphabet in 2016.

“Waymo is committed to holding safety to a higher standard. Because when we do, we make space for people to get around in a whole new way,” said the site. Previously TechCrunch reported that a Waymo vehicle struck and killed a dog in 2023.

NHTSA’s report said that the current investigation is being conducted after the Office of Defects Investigation received reports of 22 incidents involving Waymo vehicles equipped with Waymo’s 5th generation ADS.
These reports indicate the vehicles potentially violated traffic safety laws.

“Reports include collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains, collisions with parked vehicles, and instances in which the ADS appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices,” said the report. “In certain incidents, a collision occurred shortly after the ADS exhibited unexpected behavior near traffic safety control devices.”

DeWald reported that Waymo said in a statement that it will work with regulators. It has already provided investigators with reports.

“ The company says it’s proud of its safety record over tens of millions of... miles driven,” DeWald added. Waymo also offers public data about its programs.

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