California regulators are reportedly looking into a collision in San Francisco between a Waymo self-driving car and a cyclist.
A driverless taxi struck a biker at an intersection in San Francisco's Mission District on Tuesday afternoon. The cyclist suffered minor injuries but did not require hospitalization. No passenger in the car was injured.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Waymo — Alphabet's GOOG subsidiary,
Google,
Self-Driving Unit – Contacted the appropriate authorities, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles is reviewing the incident. The San Francisco Police Department is reportedly investigating the incident.
In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, Waymo said that a large truck obstructed the car's view of the cyclist, and the Waymo vehicle was unable to apply the brakes in time to avoid the collision.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Wednesday.
Waymo has touted its safety record, saying its vehicles are involved in “significantly fewer accidents” than human drivers. Waymo opened its driverless taxi service to the general public in San Francisco in October, and the iconic vehicles are ubiquitous on the city's streets. It also operates in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, Texas.
The safety of self-driving vehicles has come under increased scrutiny since the advent of a self-driving car operated by General Motors.
Cruz struck a pedestrian in San Francisco last October, dragging her about 20 feet. Organizers claimed Cruz tried to cover up some details of the incident, and an administrative judge on Tuesday attacked Cruz for his behavior after the incident.
After this incident, Cruise's license to operate in California was revoked, and the company halted all of its self-driving car operations. Cruz's leadership was also purged, and about a quarter of its workforce was laid off.
Last month, Cruz revealed that she was facing multiple investigations, including those by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, over the incident.
