A self-driving automobile from Waymo interrupted Vice President Kamala Harris' motorcade in San Francisco on Friday evening as police responded to patrol and drove the vehicle away from the scene.
Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, was on the town Friday and stayed on the Fairmont Hotel before a campaign fundraiser on the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts on Saturday afternoon.
ABC7 first reported the news that the robotaxi didn’t make a U-turn on California Street, thus stopping the vice chairman's motorcade. San Francisco law enforcement officials who were in the world quickly responded and the issue was resolved, a department spokesman said Monday.
Waymo didn’t reply to emails looking for comment on Monday.
The incident isn't the primary time a Waymo driverless vehicle has caused an issue in San Francisco.
In February, a Waymo automobile hit a cyclist in Potrero Hill. The cyclist was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Waymo reportedly claimed that the collision occurred because the driving force darted out from behind a big truck and the Waymo automobile didn’t have time to react.
That same month, an indignant group of individuals set fire to a Waymo automobile in Chinatown in the course of Chinese New Year celebrations.
In August, dozens of parked driverless Waymo cars repeatedly woke up residents south of the market with constant honking within the early morning hours. The chorus of honking began when a driverless automobile backed up, letting off a honk after which one other.
After several weeks and complaints from neighbors, Waymo finally fixed a feature that was installed to forestall low-speed collisions by honking when other cars got too close to one another while reversing. Waymo apologized to residents, threw an ice cream party and gave them free Waymo rides.
Waymo isn't the one self-driving automobile maker that has had problems in San Francisco. Authorities Cruise's permission revoked after an incident during which a self-driving automobile dragged a lady 20 feet, seriously injuring her.
Starting in 2026, the California Department of Motor Vehicles could have more details about adjusting operating permits, based on repeated problems under a bill signed into law Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. FROM 1777, written by San Francisco Democratic Assemblymember Phil TingAuthorizes law enforcement to take motion if an autonomous vehicle violates vehicle regulations. Repeated citations would allow the DMV to switch or revoke a business's permits.
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