Waymo robotaxi pulled over by Phoenix police after driving into the wrong lane | TechCrunch

A police officer pulled over a self-driving Waymo vehicle in Phoenix after it ran a red light and pulled into a lane of oncoming traffic, according to dispatch records.

The incident took place on June 19, but local media including Arizona Republic released bodycam footage of the traffic stop this week, showing the vehicle weaving in traffic before eventually pulling over into a parking lot. The footage also shows the officer’s point of view as he walks up to an empty car.

The dispatch records (which are written in all caps) say the vehicle “FREAKED OUT” and that the officer was ultimately “UNABLE TO ISSUE CITATION TO COMPUTER,” according to Arizona Republic.

A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch in a statement that the vehicle “encountered inconsistent construction signage” and “briefly entered an unoccupied oncoming lane of traffic,” which it occupied for about 30 seconds after it was blocked from navigating back to the correct lane.

“The entire event lasted approximately one minute and there were no riders in the vehicle,” the spokesperson said.

The Alphabet-owned robotaxi company has voluntarily recalled software twice this year after crashes. The safety of its software is also under investigation by federal regulators.