Self-Driving Taxi Kills Dog In San Francisco

A self-driving taxi reportedly killed a dog on Toland Street in San Francisco while the car was operating in "autonomous mode" with a test driver present in the front seat.

The collision comes as Waymo seeks to dramatically scale up their robotaxi service. Photograph: Glenn Chapman/AFP/Getty Images

A Waymo self-driving car killed a small dog in San Francisco while in “autonomous mode” last month, the latest in a string of incidents that have led city officials to protest a planned expansion of the company’s driverless taxi services.

The 21 May collision occurred just before 11am on Toland Street in San Francisco as the car was in “autonomous mode” with a test driver in the front seat. A Waymo spokesperson said that an initial review showed that the system correctly identified the dog when it ran out from behind a parked car, but “was not able to avoid contact” due to how fast the canine was moving. The company said it was investigating the matter.

“We send our sincere cond...

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