Waymo suspends all freeway rides over safety issues | Hacker News Reader

Waymo suspends all freeway rides over safety issues

sfstandard.com

35 pointsromanhn8 comments

I took a waymo on a highway not too long ago. There was a lane closure causing a backup about 100 yards ahead of two highways merging together. Someone had programmed the waymo to always be in the right lane on the highway. Before the merge was complete the waymo jumped accross solid white lines to try to get right. It then continued to push right until it was in the right lane.

The biggest issue with this was the lane closure was the right lanes and they were pushing everyone left so the waymo then had to merge with traffic back all the way to the left.

Also, the way the waymo switched lanes in stop and go traffic was not how a normal car would, but almost by turning fully right and then left to get into the lane.

This is where the incident occurred. You can see where it jumped across the white lines. https://maps.app.goo.gl/QMS4TJArJdEmj8VTA

I have not taken one on the highway since. I do think it is the future, but it hasn't figured out complex stop and go situations yet.

> Someone had programmed the waymo to always be in the right lane on the highway.

That's how traffic laws work on highways in most of the world for safety reasons.

California vehicle code has similar indications, albeit going slower on the central or left lanes is not prohibited, and indicates that slower traffic should keep right, so it seems normal that a Waymo would try to keep right lane.

It shouldn't be crossing solid white lines as a matter of routine.

It has to. Not every solid white line is sensibly painted, especially if it's on an old road.

In many parts of Europe, a solid white line is legally equivalent to a brick wall and absolutely must not be crossed.

Yes, but Waymo doesn't run in Europe and it will probably take a decade of negotiations with local cabbies before they are allowed to drive there.

I would be SHOCKED if there was nowhere in Europe where painted road markings make navigation legally impossible. There are a lot of roads and not that many painters.

The real problem is that Waymo has to drive the speed limit.

Human drivers move left if they're gonna be on the highway for a while so that they don't have to keep braking and accelerating for merging traffic.

They will speed a little bit if they have to, which means that it's common for all but the right lane to not be OK for a Waymo going the speed limit. Obviously this then leads to a subpar ride.

I've only used them a handful of times when Lyft rates were insane/too long and one instance it was driving erratically, and the other it ended up stopping me 5 blocks away at first. And with the Michael Scott water nonsense lately, absolutely would not trust that moving at high speeds.

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