Waymo self-driving car crashes into San Francisco bicyclist
Waymo says they contacted police; bicyclist able to leave scene on their own
A self-driving car used by the Waymo autonomous ride-hailing service struck a bicyclist in San Francisco on Tuesday, police confirmed.
Officers responded to 17th and Mississippi streets in the Potrero Hill neighborhood just after 3 p.m. regarding a vehicle and bicycle collision, KTVU FOX 2 reported.
San Francisco Police Department officers located the autonomous vehicle and the cyclist, who is expected to recover.
No one inside the Waymo car reported any injuries.
Waymo, which advertises that their self-driving car "never gets drunk, tired, or distracted," said its vehicle was unable to avoid crashing into a bicyclist, who they claim had entered an intersection right behind a truck. (Source: Waymo)
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., is a ride-hailing service, similar to platforms Uber and Lyft, except there is no human operator in the front seat. According to their website, autonomous Jaguar I-PACE's are on the streets of the Golden Gate City, and riders can arrange to be picked up using the Waymo One smartphone app.
The company, based in Mountain View, California, said in a statement to FOX Business that their vehicle "was at a complete stop at a four-way intersection" prior to the crash.
UBER PARTNERS WITH WAYMO TO PROVIDE AUTONOMOUS DRIVING TECH TO RIDESHARE USERS IN ARIZONA
In San Francisco, riders can download the Waymo One app and the company will reach out to riders when it Is their turn to ride. (Source: Waymo)
"An oncoming large truck progressed through the intersection in our direction and then at our turn to proceed, we moved into the intersection," the statement reads. "The cyclist was occluded by the truck and quickly followed behind it, crossing into the Waymo vehicle's path."
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The vehicle "applied heavy braking," but was unable to avoid the collision, Waymo said. The company noted that they were the ones to contact police about the crash, and that the bicyclist was able to leave the scene on their own and only reported "minor scratches." The company did not say whether any passengers were riding in their vehicle at the time.
San Francisco police did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but KTVU reported the cause of the collision is under investigation.