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\t\t\tIllustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins \/ Futurism. Source: Charly Triballeau \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Waymo has confirmed that on Sunday night one of its driverless robotaxis ran over a small dog in San Francisco, in yet another instance of the company\u2019s cars striking a beloved pet.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, a Waymo vehicle made contact with a small, unleashed dog in the roadway,\u201d a spokesperson told the San Francisco news outlet Mission Local<\/a> on Monday. \u201cWe are dedicated to learning from this situation and how we show up for our community as we continue improving road safety in the cities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n The dog\u2019s condition at this time is unclear.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not received a status update on the dog,\u201d the Waymo spokesperson told the outlet.<\/p>\n The incident was first brought to light on Reddit by the passenger inside the car who was riding with their family when the collision happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur Waymo just ran over a dog. Trying to call customer support,\u201d the passenger wrote in a post<\/a> on the night of the accident. \u201cCalled the police. Crowd is gathering not sure what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the passenger\u2019s account described across multiple<\/a> posts<\/a>, the dog, which they said was between 20 and 30 pounds and off its leash, was \u201crolling around\u201d the middle of the road when the Waymo \u201crolled right over it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDog started yelping and screaming,\u201d the rider wrote. \u201cKids were crying. Wife was screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n In a differing account the passenger told the moderators of the Waymo subreddit, they said they \u201cdidn\u2019t see the dog before the impact, but the kids were screaming about it.\u201d<\/p>\n The rider sounded conflicted about whether the robotaxi could\u2019ve done more to avoid the accident. In one post<\/a>, they wrote that a \u201cdistracted driver\u201d might have struck the dog, but that the \u201caverage driver would have slammed on the [brakes]\u201d in the same situation.<\/p>\n In another update, however, they were less confident about that assessment. \u201cHonestly [I\u2019m] not sure a human driver would have avoided the dog either though I do know that [a] human would have responded differently to a \u2018bump\u2019 followed by a car full of screaming people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Animal Care and Control confirmed to Mission Local that it had received a complaint about the accident. Later, the passenger provided an update saying a Waymo representative called to check on their family.\u00a0<\/p>\n The collision comes just weeks after another Waymo robotaxi killed a bodega cat named Kit Kat who was widely adored by locals in a San Francisco neighborhood. The tabby\u2019s death sparked outrage in the community<\/a> and became a national news story<\/a>, fueling debates over autonomous vehicle regulation. A shrine was erected to the \u201cMayor of 16th Street,\u201d as the feline was affectionately nicknamed, while the city\u2019s homo sapien mayor Daniel Lurie gloated about being a fan of Waymo and called the service<\/a> \u201cincredibly safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Tone deaf as the remark may have been, it wasn\u2019t an unfounded assertion. Waymo\u2019s safety record<\/a>, at least according to data it\u2019s shared with the public, is the best in the industry and appears to put human drivers to shame. With 96 million fully-driverless rides driven as of June<\/a>, Waymo claims that its cabs are 91 percent less likely to be involved in crashes causing serious injury or worse than the average human motorist. It\u2019s never been involved in a fatal accident.<\/p>\n Accidents do happen, though. Two years ago, a Waymo struck and killed a dog<\/a> in San Francisco, and the robotaxis sometimes hit pedestrians and bicyclists<\/a> (in many cases, the other party was found to be at fault<\/a>.) At times, they also clearly struggle<\/a> to navigate traffic<\/a>. Their presence, as a consequence, remains contentious with residents, who sometimes target the vehicles with vandalism<\/a>, if not immolation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The passenger involved in this latest accident, however, remains a fan \u2014 traumatized family notwithstanding.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile it\u2019s going to be a while before my kids will be willing to try it again, I am happy with Waymo\u2019s response and personally look forward to trying the service again,\u201d the rider wrote.<\/p>\n