On February 6th, a Waymo driverless vehicle collided with a bicycle in San Francisco, causing minor injuries. “The incident was the latest to occur in the city, with tensions surrounding self-driving cars particularly high after an unmanned cruise vehicle injured a pedestrian,” The Verge reported. From the report: The incident, first reported by Reuters, occurred at 3:02 p.m. on February 6 at the intersection of 17th Street and Mississippi Avenue in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood. Google Maps' street view of the intersection shows a flat, well-lit area surrounded by warehouses, with unprotected bike lanes on both streets. SFPD public information officer Eve Raokwansathitaya said officers who arrived at the scene found a self-driving car had hit a bicycle, but the cyclist reported only “non-life-threatening injuries.” It is said that he did.
The passengers in the Waymo vehicle at the time of the collision were not injured. Laokwansathitaya said the incident was still under investigation. Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina provided further information. The Waymo vehicle stopped at a four-way intersection as an oncoming large truck began to enter the intersection. The car waited its turn and then began passing through the intersection without noticing the cyclists following it.
“The cyclist was blocked by the truck and immediately followed the truck and crossed into the path of the Waymo vehicle,” Irina said. “When they became fully visible, our car braked hard, but we were unable to avoid the collision.” After the incident, Waymo called the police, but the cyclist Irina added that the man reported only “minor injuries” and left.