Waymo announced earlier this week that not only were self-driving cars on the road, but that they are on Arizona roads without anyone behind the wheel.
Not long following this announcement was the crash of the self-driving shuttle in Las Vegas – hours after it was launched.
The incident was described in a statement from a representative of the Las Vegas city government’s Tumblr:
The autonomous shuttle was testing today when it was grazed by a delivery truck downtown. The shuttle did what it was supposed to do, in that it's sensors registered the truck and the shuttle stopped to avoid the accident. Unfortunately, the delivery truck did not stop and grazed the front fender of the shuttle. Had the truck had the same sensing equipment that the shuttle has the accident would have been avoided. Testing of the shuttle will continue during the 12-month pilot in the downtown Innovation District. The shuttle will remain out of service for the rest of the day. The driver of the truck was cited by Metro.
As the driverless car industry continues to grow, it will have a huge impact on everyday lives. From less need for public transportation, a decrease in need for parking lots, to a decline in traffic violations, we’re sure to see a big change on our roads.
