AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) – There\u2019s a bit of a conflict brewing between driving technology and education in the capital city of Texas.<\/p>\n
School officials in Austin said Waymo\u2019s self-driving vehicles often are not stopping for buses.<\/p>\n
Waymo is making changes after receiving more than 20 bus safety violations from the Austin Independent School District this school year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want any of these children hurt, or worse,\u201d said Jason Coomer, an attorney who is not involved with the school district\u2019s complaints.<\/p>\n
This week, the autonomous vehicle company voluntarily filed a software recall<\/a> with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration related to how its self-driving cars respond to stopped school buses.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have known instances, over 20 instances of them violating laws in school zone,\u201d Coomer said. \u201cSomebody needs to step up and take action and say, \u2018Stop. This is a danger.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In a December video first captured by an Austin ISD bus camera, a Waymo vehicle could be seen driving through a stop. The vehicle only briefly stopped after it committed the violation and then drove off again.<\/p>\n After the specific violation, the school district asked the company to cease its operations around pickup and drop-off times for students.<\/p>\n \u201cThey did not agree with our risk assessment and respectfully declined to stop operating,\u201d Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said.<\/p>\n Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s problematic when the company\u2019s not listening because their product could really hurt people, especially school children and families,\u201d Coomer suggested.<\/p>\n