🔗 Share this article American Regulators Initiate Investigation into Waymo Driverless Vehicles Over Student Transport Safety Concerns America's key transportation safety agency disclosed recently that it has opened a first-stage investigation regarding around 2,000 the company's driverless cars following reports that these autonomous taxis potentially failed to follow vehicle safety regulations near stationary school buses. Government Oversight Grows for Autonomous Systems The inquiry by NHTSA represents another government examination into autonomous systems as authorities carefully scrutinize how driverless systems interact with walkers, cyclists, and other traffic participants. Incident Particulars Prompt Formal Review Federal officials stated that its defects office launched the review following identifying a media report describing a situation where one company autonomous vehicle failed to stay stopped while coming near student transport that had warning lights illuminated, safety arm extended, and crossing control arm extended. The report showed that the robotaxi first came to a halt beside the vehicle before drove around the bus front, going around the extended stop arm and safety barrier while passengers got off. Waymo's Operations and Response The company indicated that its autonomous vehicle network presently operates more than 1,500 vehicles operating across key US metropolitan areas, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and with New York City scheduled for next year. One company spokesperson declared: "We have already established along with deployed enhancements regarding responding to student transport plus we'll land additional software updates during the following system update." Officials further stated: "Operating securely around students remains among Waymo's top priorities. During the incident described, the vehicle approached the transport vehicle from a position in which the warning lights plus warning device weren't visible and proceeded carefully around the front section of the bus before proceeding beyond it, preserving a safe space away from students." Vehicle Specifications NHTSA confirmed how the unit in question was equipped with Waymo's latest automated driving system while functioning without a human backup driver during it occurred.