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A California politician has introduced a bill that he says would make Waymos and other robotaxis “safer” in emergency situations.<\/p>\n
Dan Hernandez\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
A Silicon Valley lawmaker is pushing a bill that would require\u00a0robotaxis to hire local human operators for emergency situations like the blackouts<\/a> that paralyzed Waymo<\/a> vehicles in San Francisco last winter.<\/p>\n State Sen. David Cortese, D-San Jose, described SB 1246 as an essential safety measure so that companies can react more quickly when stop lights are out or roads are blocked, ensuring they do not block the path of emergency vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, reports of AVs obstructing traffic, competing with first responders, and driving through active law enforcement activities continue to abound,\u201d Cortese said, introducing the bill at a Senate Transportation Committee hearing on Tuesday. He noted that humans can address \u201cambiguous situations\u201d in real time, provided the employees are based nearby: Two months ago, Waymo\u2019s chief safety officer sparked outrage by acknowledging that the autonomous vehicle company relies on remote assistants in the Philippines<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Cortese\u2019s bill would require Waymo and its competitors to bolster their labor forces with remote drivers and assistants who are based in the U.S. and licensed to drive in California. Additionally, SB 1246 calls for one human assigned to every three vehicles \u2014 enough, Cortese said, for Waymo to respond immediately. Under the bill, a trained autonomous vehicle worker would have to arrive to a scene within ten minutes, if summoned. Finally, every robotaxi would contain a \u201cmanual override option,\u201d enabling public safety officers to immobilize the car. (The self-driving cars already have similar capabilities.)<\/p>\n Although Cortese drew support from fellow members of the transportation committee, who voted 7-2 to move SB 1246 forward, representatives of Waymo and other AV companies fought back.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n