You may have seen self-driving cars roll out in other cities, and now, they’re being tested in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Waymo\u2019s autonomous vehicles are being tested on local streets, but with a little help. <\/p>\n
Each car still has a human behind the wheel, assisting the technology as it learns how to handle real-life San Antonio traffic.<\/p>\n
A Waymo spokesperson says “supervised autonomous testing” right now with a specialist in the driver’s seat to help the cars get familiar with local roads.<\/p>\n
The cars are currently collecting data and learning how to navigate safely before going driver-free.<\/p>\n
First responders have already started training for this driverless rollout, though no timeline has been publicly released.<\/p>\n
San Antonio firefighters and police officers took special courses on how to handle autonomous vehicles in emergencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou grew up watching The Jetsons. We expected flying cars by now,\u201d joked SAFD\u2019s Joe Arrington. \u201cMaybe this is that next step… the autonomous vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arrington says the training helps take the \u201cmystery\u201d out of what to do if one of these cars is involved in a crash or fire.<\/p>\n
Safety Concerns Still Loom<\/p>\n
Not everyone is ready to embrace the technology.<\/p>\n
We asked social media viewers how they felt about getting in an autonomous vehicle and got some mixed reactions.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t think the technology is 100% there yet,” Michael told us.<\/p>\n
Roger told us he’d prefer the technology on rural roads rather than on city streets.<\/p>\n
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating autonomous driving systems nationwide after a deadly crash in San Antonio last year. <\/p>\n
In that February 2024 incident, a Ford SUV using BlueCruise \u2014 a partially automated driving system \u2014 slammed into another vehicle on I-10, killing the other driver. The system was controlling speed and braking, but the human behind the wheel was still supposed to be paying attention.<\/p>\n
And in Austin, safety advocates staged a demonstration<\/a> showing a Tesla in full self-driving mode plowing through a child-sized mannequin in a crosswalk \u2014 a reminder that even advanced technology can fail.<\/p>\n The Tech Is Getting Better<\/p>\n Experts say Waymo\u2019s system is among the most advanced currently being tested.<\/p>\n Dr. Song Fu has been studying autonomous vehicles at the University of North Texas for years.<\/p>\n He serves as the director of the NSF Center for Electric, Connected and Autonomous Technologies for Mobility, and the director of the Vehicle and Edge Computing Laboratory.<\/p>\n Fu says Waymo’s technology combines cameras, radar, and light detection sensors to create a more complete picture of the road.<\/p>\n