- A Waymo driverless taxi caused traffic disruption in Austin, Texas, after appearing unable to navigate a puddle, despite other vehicles easily passing through.
- Further footage from Austin showed two other Waymo vehicles driving into a larger puddle and stopping, forcing other drivers to manoeuvre around them.
- This incident occurs just months before Waymo, a division of Google's parent company Alphabet, is set to launch its robotaxi service in London in September.
- The company currently operates around 1,500 self-driving cars in five US cities, with its CEO stating the aim is to make roads safer and transportation more accessible.
- The event adds to a growing number of autonomous vehicle accidents in the US, with over 5,000 logged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and warnings from market research firms about ongoing regulatory and technical challenges in the robotaxi sector.
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