More than a dozen self-driving cars developed by Cruise caused a massive traffic jam in Austin, Texas. A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing autonomous vehicles lined up on the street, unable to move. The robot taxis were equipped with cameras and sensors that guided their driving without human drivers.
According to eyewitnesses, the traffic jams were caused by intense pedestrian and vehicle traffic, causing the self-driving prototypes to crowd the street. Cruz claims the cars stopping in the middle of the road was a safety measure programmed into the vehicles. In dangerous situations, they are programmed to stop as the safest move.
Efforts were made to remotely maneuver vehicles out of the jam and eventually the cars left the scene autonomously. Cruise apologized for the inconvenience and explained that the limited north and south roads through the city took the prototypes to the same location.
This isn’t the first time cruise prototypes have caused traffic jams. Similar incidents occurred in San Francisco, where about ten cars blocked traffic on Vallejo Street. The company has also faced other challenges, such as an incident where a masked man tried to destroy a self-driving car with a hammer.
About 120 autonomous cars are currently operating in Austin, Texas. Cruise engineers will have to deal with the software issues that caused the traffic jam. Despite setbacks, development and testing of self-driving technology continues to move forward to create safer and more efficient transportation systems.
Sources:
– The Verge
– Elektreks
after navigation
2023-09-24 12:34:46
#Robotaxis #traffic #jams #Austin #Texas
