Waymo robotaxi stopped by Phoenix police after entering the wrong lane

In Phoenix, a Waymo self-driving vehicle encountered a mishap when it ran a red light and briefly moved into oncoming traffic, leading to a police stop captured on bodycam footage released by local media, including the Arizona Republic. The incident occurred on June 19, with dispatch records noting the vehicle “FREAKED OUT” and the officer being unable to issue a citation to a computer.

According to Waymo, the vehicle faced challenges due to inconsistent construction signage, which caused it to enter an unoccupied oncoming lane for about 30 seconds before returning to the correct lane. Notably, there were no passengers in the vehicle during this event.

Waymo, owned by Alphabet, has recalled its software twice this year following crashes and is currently under federal investigation regarding the safety of its autonomous driving technology.